Kolkata, Dec 13 (UNI) Argentine great Lionel Messi received a rousing welcome on his arrival in the city, his second visit in 14 years, as thousands of fans wearing Barcelona's No. 10 jerseys, in wintry night, waited past midnight to catch a glimpse of the football legend.

Messi's plane landed at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport around 2:26 am, met by massive crowds chanting his name and waving Argentine flags.
A heavy security presence was deployed, yet fans flooded the airport perimeter and the vicinity of the Hyatt Regency hotel where he is staying. Kolkata, widely regarded as the “Mecca of Indian football,” is gearing up for Messi’s return after 14 years with large-scale celebrations, including a 70-foot statue and fan zones at the Lake Town crossing on the EM Bypass.
Sources said on his way to the city hotel near the Salt Lake Stadium, Messi was shown his white-statue holding the World Cup on his right hand near Big Ben clock tower, on the VIP Road, the gateway of the city.
Messi is scheduled to virtually unveil the 70-foot statue from the Salt Lake Stadium, a move that disappointed some fans, including one who travelled from Mumbai. Among the crowd was a teenage boy in a wheelchair who came all the way from Kalyani in Nadia district to see Messi, who is revered as a “God” by many of his hardcore supporters.
The 38-year-old forward, now with Inter Miami, has a packed itinerary during his brief half-day stay before heading to Hyderabad in the evening, where he is scheduled to take part in an exhibition match against the Telangana chief minister in the evening.
He has an appearance at the Salt Lake Stadium (Yuva Bharati) for a felicitation and interaction ceremony. The stadium where he had played in 2011 against Venezuela in the FIFA sponsored play in which he first wore captain armband and led his country to a 1-0 win.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan and former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly are expected to join him at the stadium event.
UNI PC VAN AAB