'Lionel Messi will be in Kerala from October 25 to November..' Sports Minister V. Abdurahiman's viral video

Argentina football icon Lionel Messi will be in Kerala from October 25 to November 2 of this year, Minister for Sports V. Abdurahiman confirmed. Apart from playing friendlies in the southern state, the World Cup winner will interact with the people of Kerala for 20 minutes on a public platform, the minister added. 

Argentina football team to Kerala: The story so far

In November 2024, the communist government of the football-crazy southern state had announced that the Argentina national football team would visit Kerala in 2025 for an international friendly match. Addressing a press conference, V Abdurahiman said that the world champions, who enjoy tremendous support in Kerala, would play two friendly matches in Kerala, with the event being conducted under the complete supervision of the state government.

"The world's number one football team, Argentina, including Lionel Messi, is coming to Kerala... There will be two matches... The management of the Argentina team would make an official announcement in this regard upon arriving in the state," he had said.

The venue and the opponent team would be decided at a later stage, Abdurahiman had said. WATCH THE VIRAL VIDEO HERE:

What did V. Abdurahiman say about Messi's arrival to Kerala?

The latest update on Lionel Messi's arrival was made by the minister during an interaction with a gathering consisting mostly of youngsters. While THE WEEK couldn't independently identify when and where the video was shot, it showed the Tanur legislator categorically confirming Messi's arrival. He made the statement to the great excitement of the youngsters who jubilantly cheered. 

The video began with somebody behind the camera asking the minister, "Will our Messi really come here?" Quickly grabbing a make, Abdurahiman went, "For seven days from October 25 to November 2, Messi will be in Kerala. Apart from the friendly match, he will be on a public dias for twenty minutes to see you all," the viral video showed him saying.

The clip that showed Abdurahiman reiterating Messi's arrival to the state comes at a time when many had doubted whether the world champions would send their A team to India. The political rivals of CPI(M) had also called the announcement a bluff intended to mislead the people. While some others have said instead of spending big on the exhibition games, Kerala should work to improve its sports infrastructure.

During the Qatar World Cup, Argentina Football had shared the giant cutout of Messi installed by fans in Kerala in a show of support for their captain.