Telangana CM set to kick off football friendly with Lionel Messi in Hyderabad
Lionel Messi recently added Hyderabad to his list of cities on his GOAT Tour to India. The Telangana mega-city will be the fourth destination of the iconic footballer in India.
New Delhi: Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy is likely to kick off a football friendly to be attended by iconic footballer Lionel Messi during his visit to Hyderabad on December 13.
More details of the event would be finalised in the coming days, official sources confirmed on Monday.
The Congress government is organising the match to celebrate its second anniversary. The blockbuster sporting event would take place at the Uppal Stadium in Hyderabad.
An avid football fan and player, Revanth Reddy, is expected to begin the match by kicking the ball.
To be in shape for the football friendly, he even practised on Sunday night with a group of players.
Reddy had participated in a friendly football match with the students at the University of Hyderabad (UoH) at the same venue last year.
The Congress government plans to organise celebrations from December 1 to 13 to mark the completion of two years in office.
Hyderabad added to GOAT Tour itinerary
Reddy will hold meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge and invite them to the Telangana Rising Global Summit scheduled for December 8 and 9 at the proposed Bharat Future City, an official release said.
The CM had earlier expressed his delight and said he is looking forward to welcoming and meeting Argentine football icon Lionel Messi to the 'GOAT Tour to India 2025' next month.
Messi recently added Hyderabad to his list of cities on his GOAT Tour to India. The Telangana mega-city will be the fourth destination of Messi in India. The World Cup-winning captain will first visit the Indian east (Kolkata), south (Hyderabad), and west (Mumbai), before concluding his tour in the north (New Delhi).
The GOAT Tour will comprise renowned football games, musical events, meet-and-greet opportunities, kids master classes and felicitation ceremonies in four different cities.