Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy is leaving no stone unturned in preparations to welcome Lionel Messi in Hyderabad. The South Indian city was a late addition to the Messi India Tour. The Argentine legend is expected to touch down in the city on December 13, where he will play a short exhibition match.
Reddy is expected to feature in the exhibition match alongside a few government school kids who have been scouted for the game. As per reports, it will be a match between 'RR9' and 'Messi10' with Reddy to don the No.9 jersey. Messi will wear the iconic No.10 as he usually does.
In a new video shared by Telangana CMO, Reddy looked in good shape training for the game. Wearing an Arsenal kit, the 56-year-old did not look out of place on the football turf and showboated some of his skills with the football. He later posed for pictures with the players which have also gone viral.
After the grand celebration in Kolkata on December 13, Messi will travel to Hyderabad for the next leg of the event on the same day. Earlier, Ahmedabad was touted as one of the cities on Messi's India tour. Kerala was another pit stop given the Argentine team were scheduled to play a friendly in Kochi. Both those events were cancelled, with Hyderabad offering an alternate pitstop.
The event will feature a short football match, a clinic, a musical tribute, and a felicitation ceremony, similar to other states. With Hyderabad now on board, the GOAT India Tour achieves a true pan-India presence, spanning the East (Kolkata) and South (Hyderabad) on December 13, West (Mumbai) on December 14 and in the end, North (Delhi) on December 15.
