It was undeniably special to see Lionel Messi in India. For a generation that has grown up watching him redefine football, the chance to be in the same space as a global icon carried emotional weight. Icons do that they generate instant excitement, collective pride, and memories that linger long after the cameras are switched off.
For a few days, Indian football was part of a global conversation.
But once the noise settles, it is worth asking a harder, more uncomfortable question: who did this visit ultimately help?
Was it about strengthening Brand India on the global sporting map? Was it about advancing Indian football in any tangible way? Or was it, in essence, a perfectly executed media and social-media moment designed for visibility rather than impact?
The answer matters, because Indian football is not short of moments. It is short of momentum.
Spectacle versus substance
The days surrounding Messi’s visit were dominated by celebrity presence, curated visuals, sponsor-led narratives and digital buzz. From a marketing perspective, the tour did exactly what it was designed to do. It delivered reach, impressions and prestige. The optics were immaculate.
What was harder to spot perhaps it happened quietly, or perhaps it did not happen at all was meaningful engagement with the football ecosystem itself. There was little visible interaction with young players, grassroots academies, domestic clubs or institutions that work year-round, away from the spotlight, to keep Indian football alive.
That absence is telling. Because while spectacle creates excitement, substance creates continuity. And Indian football’s core problem has never been visibility; it has been sustainability.
A missed opportunity for deeper impact
This is not an argument against hosting global icons. On the contrary, exposure to greatness has real inspirational value. But inspiration needs pathways. A fleeting encounter, no matter how magical, does not automatically translate into participation, belief or long-term growth.
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Imagine a different set of images. Messi inaugurating a community football ground in a footballing state. Spending time at a residential academy. Associating, even symbolically, with an organisation that is doing long-term work in talent identification, coaching education or youth competitions. These are not glamorous moments in the traditional sense, but they are powerful ones. They signal seriousness. They create credibility. They tell young players and their parents that football in India is not just a spectacle, but a pathway.
Instead, the tour remained firmly in the realm of celebrity access and brand activation. That is not inherently wrong, but it is incomplete.
Why legacy matters more than memory
When a legend of Messi’s stature visits a country, the real measure of success is not how many selfies were taken or how many reels went viral. It is whether he leaves behind belief. Belief that football is worth choosing. Belief that systems exist. Belief that dreams have direction. Countries that have used such visits well understand this distinction. They treat icons not merely as attractions, but as catalysts touchpoints in a broader developmental story. The visit becomes a chapter, not the whole book.
In India’s case, the risk is that the memory will outlast the meaning. That the tour will be remembered as a grand event, not as a turning point.
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This matters even more when placed against the backdrop of Indian football’s current realities. Domestic leagues struggle for consistent attention. Grassroots programmes remain uneven. Pathways from youth football to the professional level are fragile. Clubs and academies operate with limited resources and uncertain futures. Against that landscape, the contrast between short-term spectacle and long-term neglect becomes sharper. The ecosystem does not need more moments of validation; it needs reinforcement.
That reinforcement does not always come from money alone. It comes from alignment between visibility and values, between celebrity and community, between aspiration and access.
Celebrating the moment, questioning the outcome
It is possible and necessary to hold two thoughts at once. Yes, seeing Messi in India was special. It deserved celebration. Football fans are allowed joy, wonder and emotion. But celebration should not replace reflection.
If future global icons visit India, the question should no longer be just “how big will this be?” but “what will this leave behind?” Will it strengthen institutions? Will it empower young players? Will it add credibility to the domestic ecosystem? Because without those answers, such visits risk becoming beautifully packaged distractions uplifting in the moment, but disconnected from the sport’s deeper needs.
Spectacle has its place. It creates memories, headlines and pride. But movements are built differently. They are built through repetition, investment and trust. Through institutions that outlast individuals. Through systems that make inspiration actionable.
Indian football does not need fewer icons visiting. It needs better integration when they do. Messi’s visit was a moment to celebrate. The challenge now is to ensure that the next one whoever it may be becomes part of a movement worth sustaining.
Because in the end, spectacle creates moments. Legacy creates movements.
Inspired by Neeraj Jha LinkedIn post
