Kolkata will unveil a 70-foot statue of Lionel Messi on Saturday, December 13, as the Argentine icon prepares to embark on a three-day GOAT tour in India in what has sparked a fan frenzy. It will mark Messi’s first visit to the country since 2011, when he represented Argentina in a friendly game against Venezuela.The iron sculpture, built in Kolkata, shows Messi holding and hoisting the FIFA World Cup trophy while standing on an erected platform. It has been assembled over the course of 27 days by a 45-stong crew and is the tallest statue of a footballer in the world.Lionel Messi will commence his GOAT tour in Kolkata at 10:30am local time on Saturday, before heading to Hyderabad for the second leg of the day’s events. He will visit Mumbai the following day and Delhi on the last day of his tour.Upon the announcement of the statue unveiling, fans took to X to express their excitement in anticipation of Messi’s arrival in India.One wrote:“India doing more than Barcelona in honoring the 🐐.”Mayor 🇳🇫🇨🇦 @MJoe202LINK@LeoMessiFanZone India doing more than Barcelona in honoring the 🐐Another tweeted:“Messi actually owns the streets.”The Lanister @LanisterTheLINK@MessiXtraHQ Messi actually owns the streets.A third added:“This brother should be categorized with the likes of Zeus and Poseidon.”Jiggy_prime @_marrleyy__LINK@MessiXtraHQ This brother should be categorized with the likes of Zeus and Poseidon.One remarked:“One of the Shortest footballers having the tallest statue is poetic.”33 @karujajnrLINK@MessiXtraHQ One of the Shortest footballers having the tallest statue is poeticAs part of his GOAT tour, Lionel Messi will play a friendly match, and a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi is possible, depending on scheduling. However, the Inter Miami forward will unveil the statue virtually rather than in person for security reasons. West Bengal Minister Sujit Bose told ANI:“Messi will like this statue. Inauguration will be on the 13th virtually from Kolkata.”Bose further pointed out that there is no other statue dedicated to Messi that is as big as the one in Kolkata.What Lionel Messi said ahead of his India GOAT tourOn October 2, Lionel Messi took to his official Instagram account to share a post confirming his GOAT tour in India. He wrote:“I’m truly excited to be visiting such a beautiful country as India this December. It will be a pleasure to attend concerts, youth football clinics, a paddle cup and launch charitable initiatives during events at iconic stadiums in Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, and maybe one more city. It will also be an honour to be able to interact and meet with India’s biggest stars and top dignitaries. Thanks to The Satadru Dutta Initiative for making it possible to come back to India after 14 years 🙏.”It is worth noting that the tickets for Messi’s GOAT tour in India are available exclusively on the District app and website. The prices start at Rs 4,500 in most cities, except Mumbai.