Workers prepare posters of Argentina’s footballer Lionel Messi in Hyderabad on December 12, 2025, ahead of the much-awaited Lionel Messi GOAT Football Match scheduled for December 13, 2025, with Rachakonda Police urging fans to follow entry rules and carry valid tickets or passes.
| Photo Credit: G. Ramakrishna
In view of the violence erupted during the football legend Lionel Messi’s programme in Kolkata, the Hyderabad police have issued warning of stringent action if there is any misconduct by those attending the match in Hyderabad.
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The officials released a minute-by-minute programme of Messi’s schedule leaving no scope for any problems. The evening will begin with the match kick-off at 7.50 p.m. Shortly after, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will make entry onto the pitch, followed by Lionel Messi, and then football stars Rodrigo De Paul and Luis Suarez.
At 8.11 p.m., Messi and the Chief Minister will symbolically dribbled the ball together and it will be followed by a keenly watched penalty shootout, with three shots per team, to decide the winner of the specially instituted GOAT Cup.
It will be followed by Rahul Gandhi joining the dignitaries and players for a group photograph with both teams and children. The focus will shift to designated zones for an interactive Tiki-Taka Children’s Clinics.
Between 8.17 p.m. and 8.32 p.m., four Tiki-Taka zones will come alive with Messi, Suarez, De Paul, the Chief Minister and Rahul Gandhi actively engaging with children, passing the ball, offering encouragement and sharing moments. The clinic will culminate in a special penalty shootout with Messi, with organiser Anuttam Reddy donning the goalkeeper’s gloves.
A parade walk around the stadium will be followed, as Messi, Revanth Reddy, Rahul Gandhi, Suarez and De Paul acknowledging the fans. The dignitaries will then assemble on a stage erected on the ground, where guests would be introduced as per protocol.
During the felicitation ceremony, the GOAT Cup will be presented by Lionel Messi to the winning team, while Rahul Gandhi will hand over the cup to the other participating team. The Chief Minister will felicitate Messi with a gift and shawl, while Parvathi Reddy and others will honour Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul.
This will be followed by remarks by the Chief Minister and Rahul Gandhi, and the programme will conclude at 9 pm with all dignitaries exiting the stadium by 9 p.m.
Published – December 13, 2025 04:55 pm IST
