The chaos in Kolkata, where the tour began, is perhaps now a distant memory, lost in the pages of history. At least, for now, that's how the football lovers in the City of Joy would like it to be - even better if they could get the opportunity to erase it from their memory completely. But hindsight isn't a remedy for what's already gone by.
It feels almost unreal now, but on a humid September evening in 2011, Indian sport paused to witness a landmark moment. Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata, turned into a cathedral of football as Messi, already the world's most mesmerising footballer by then, walked out wearing Argentina's colours, not on European or Latin American turf, but on Indian soil to take on Venezuela in what was India's first-ever international football friendly match.
