HYDERABAD: Hyderabad is preparing for a once-in-a-lifetime fixture on Saturday, with Lionel Messi set to take the field in a city transformed into a giant home stadium, going by the banners that lined the streets on Friday. Fans are warming up early, and organisers say the “City of Pearls” is ready for its first taste of a penalty-shootout-style frenzy.
Messi is scheduled to touch down at 4 pm before heading straight to Falaknuma Palace for a meet-and-greet at 4:30 pm. About 240 attendees, each reportedly paying Rs 10 lakh, will get a photograph and autograph with the Argentine captain.
From there, the World Cup winner will make his way to the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Uppal for a 20-minute friendly with Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, a match organisers are billing as the city’s most unusual crossover fixture.
According to officials, the cricket pitch will remain untouched, with only half the ground opened for the event. Once the whistle blows on the friendly, Messi will jog a lap with 24 underprivileged children from across Telangana as part of a football clinic focused on basic skills, particularly dribbling.
A brief parade and a state felicitation will follow, taking the total runtime to roughly 90 minutes. Messi will then return to Falaknuma Palace before leaving for Delhi at 11 pm.
Fan interest has surged across the city.
Messi match live on Sony Liv
Nearly 26,000 tickets have been sold on the “District” app for the primary ticketed event at LB Stadium, where Messi is expected to recreate his iconic penalty routine. With a capacity of about 32,000, organisers say they are preparing for a full house. The event will also stream live on Sony Liv.
Among those eagerly awaiting Saturday’s kick-off are young footballers who have been following Messi’s career for years. Farhan Khan, a Class 8 student from Tolichowki, said he had been “waiting to watch him play live ever since the news broke”.
Mangpi, captain of the University of Hyderabad football team and one of 12 players helping train Revanth in recent weeks, said the chief minister “plays very gracefully”, adding that the squad hoped to secure Messi’s autograph at the stadium. Students from Osmania University echoed the excitement, saying they were “counting down to Saturday evening”.
Six hundred government school students have also been invited to watch from the stands, turning the friendly into a stadium-sized community viewing session.
Rahul to attend Messi event
Hyderabad: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will be among the thousands of fans who will see Lionel Messi in action on Saturday. Rahul will arrive in Hyderabad at 5 pm and reach the stadium in time for the event. He will return to Delhi by the 10.30 pm flight.