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Saturday, February 21, 2026
TopicLionel Messi

Topic: Lionel Messi

No refund for flop Messi Kolkata event yet. Fans ask, ‘Who is accountable?’

For many, the memory of seeing Messi — even from a distance — has already faded. What remains is a transaction unresolved, and a demand that platforms, organisers, and authorities stop passing the buck.

West Bengal is almost beyond redemption. Messi’s visit exposed the long decay

The attempt is to keep talking about culture, arts, sociology, politics and an imagined Bengali identity. All of this, however, rests on an extremely rickety economic base.

‘An injustice,’ says Bengali actor Subhashree Ganguly as Messi photos trigger online abuse

In a video on Instagram, Bengali actor Subhashree Ganguly addressed the online abuse targeted at her after she posted photos of herself with Lionel Messi at Salt Lake Stadium.

‘I met Messi’ was the headline of the GOAT tour. Football and fans were ignored

Perhaps the clearest indicator of how shallow the tour was lies in how Luis Suárez and Rodrigo de Paul were treated. These aren’t random names.

Messi mania in Delhi: Fans pull all-nighters to see the GOAT, tight checks to avoid Kolkata-like fiasco

Fans of the Argentine legend like Alben, 24, who stood in 3 km-long queues, have called the Delhi crowd and the management 'much better' than Kolkata.

ThePrint photos of the week: Gujarat’s hybrid coconuts to a Messi chaos & a jumbo protest

New Delhi: This week in photos, ThePrint brings together images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi paying tribute to security...

What a mess! Cops detain organiser of Messi tour, Mamata apologises for chaos at Kolkata stadium

Lionel Messi was invited to Kolkata as part of his multicity GOAT India Tour 2025. As fans went on rampage at Salt Lake Stadium, police resorted to a lathi-charge to restore order.

Delays & ‘shady deals’: All about Kerala govt, sponsor ‘Messi-ng’ up Argentina football team tour

Reporter Broadcasting Company, the sponsor, meanwhile, is looking for next window in March to bring the football great and Argentina team to Kerala.

‘Ronaldinho must have said positive things to Messi about India,’ says GOAT India tour organiser

As part of the GOAT India Tour 2025, which will begin on 13 December, Messi will visit Kolkata, Mumbai, and Delhi, with the organisers planning to add Ahmedabad to the list.

Will Messi play another World Cup? ‘Logical to think I might not,’ he says at teary Argentina ‘farewell’

The Argentine talisman scored a brace against Venezuela Thursday, lifting his World Cup qualifier tally to 36, matching Cristiano Ronaldo’s record.

On Camera

Youth Congress, your foolish protest helped the Modi govt climb out of the AI summit hole

In tactical terms, the shirtless protest was worse than a self-goal. Suddenly, the fiascos of the AI Summit were forgotten, and the Youth Congress’s disruption became the issue.

In the West, there’s anxiety. In India, optimism—Rishi Sunak says India poised to be leader in AI

On Wednesday, the former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was speaking in New Delhi at a Carnegie & Observer Research Foundation event on AI.

MoD, IAF agree on some exemptions to HAL for Tejas Mk1A, but no compromise on ‘must-have’ capabilities

IAF is fine with accepting the aircraft with 'must-haves', even if some other steps remain pending, which may take at least another year, it is learnt.

No country is ever fully sovereign. Cold War era taught India its real meaning

India’s fraught neighbourhood places multiple constraints on its strategic choices. It leaves no time to take a deep breath, lean back and reset.