Ramped up: Messi, Suarez to reunite in Mumbai ‘for a cause’

kolkata: Argentine football icon Lionel Messi will walk the ramp in Mumbai “for a cause” during his India tour, the organisers of which have requested him to bring select memorabilia from their 2022 World Cup triumph for an auction.

The sole promoter of the ‘G.O.A.T. India Tour 2025’, Satadru Dutta, told PTI on Tuesday that Messi, along with long-time strike partner Luis Suarez and Argentina midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, will feature in a 45-minute fashion segment on the night of December 14.

It will be a “philanthropic fashion show for a cause”, Dutta said. “It’s a fully reserved night. There will be celebrity models, celebrity cricketers, Bollywood celebrities, millionaires, founders. Tiger and Jackie Shroff, John Abraham among others,” he said.

Suarez will also be part of a Spanish music show, while the organisers have “made a formal request” for Messi to bring “some memorabilia of the 2022 World Cup which will be auctioned” during the Mumbai leg of the tour. The Mumbai event starts at 5pm at Wankhede Stadium, preceded by a Padel Cup at 3.30pm at Cricket Club of India.

In the Kolkata leg, the unveiling of Messi’s “biggest ever statue” -- a 70-feet structure -- will be done virtually from his team hotel owing to security concerns. “Police has not given permission so he will do it from the hotel. It will be done virtually in the morning,” a Kolkata Police

source said.