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Messi's India outing: Laser-lit skylines, packed stadiums, frenzied fans

Delhi braces for Argentina superstar's arrival as memories of Kolkata linger and football fever grips the country

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Argentinian football star Lionel Messi at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

Anushka BhardwajAjinkya KawaleIshita Ayan Dutt New Delhi/Mumbai/Kolkata

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New Delhi is going all out to ensure that when the GOAT comes calling, none of the Kolkata blues dampen the big Monday mood. With Lionel Messi’s landing in Kolkata — his first stop on a three-day, four-city India tour — at 2.26 am on Friday ending with fans on the rampage, the Argentina superstar’s Delhi outing promises to be a heightened security affair. 
Reports indicate that no less than 2,500 police personnel will be deployed in and around Arun Jaitley Stadium (formerly Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium), where Messi will play a nine-a-side exhibition match in the afternoon before felicitating