Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's Absence Leaves Indian Football Fans Disappointed
The highly-anticipated appearance of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in India has been dealt another blow, with both superstars set to miss their respective matches in the AFC Champions League Two. The news comes as a significant disappointment for football fans across the country, who were eagerly anticipating the opportunity to see two of the world's greatest players take to the pitch.
The absence of Ronaldo and Messi was always unlikely, given that the Portuguese superstar has been focused on his Saudi Pro League commitments with Al-Nassr, while the Argentine icon is set to represent his country in a friendly match against Australia in November. However, fans had hoped that both players would still make an appearance in India, at least for one of their group stage matches.
Instead, Ronaldo's failure to appear has been described as a "huge blow" by FC Goa officials, who had invested significant time and resources into preparing for the Portuguese forward's visit. The club's CEO, Ravi Puskur, had described the match against Al-Nassr as "the biggest game in Indian club football history," and had anticipated a huge turnout of fans.
Similarly, Messi's absence has left fans feeling disappointed and frustrated. Despite the Argentine FA having made an initial provision for a friendly match in India, FIFA's approval has not been forthcoming, and it now seems likely that the world champions will not make an appearance in the country.
The disappointment is compounded by the fact that Indian football is currently experiencing a period of uncertainty, with the 2025-26 Indian Super League season delayed due to contractual and legal issues. The national team's recent performances have also been underwhelming, with defeats against Hong Kong and Singapore leaving them out of contention for the 2027 Asian Cup.
While Ronaldo and Messi's absence may not have changed the fortunes of Indian football, their presence would have undoubtedly brought a welcome boost to the sport. Fans will now have to wait and see if the club and country can mount a successful challenge in the AFC Champions League Two without two of the world's greatest players on board.
The highly-anticipated appearance of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in India has been dealt another blow, with both superstars set to miss their respective matches in the AFC Champions League Two. The news comes as a significant disappointment for football fans across the country, who were eagerly anticipating the opportunity to see two of the world's greatest players take to the pitch.
The absence of Ronaldo and Messi was always unlikely, given that the Portuguese superstar has been focused on his Saudi Pro League commitments with Al-Nassr, while the Argentine icon is set to represent his country in a friendly match against Australia in November. However, fans had hoped that both players would still make an appearance in India, at least for one of their group stage matches.
Instead, Ronaldo's failure to appear has been described as a "huge blow" by FC Goa officials, who had invested significant time and resources into preparing for the Portuguese forward's visit. The club's CEO, Ravi Puskur, had described the match against Al-Nassr as "the biggest game in Indian club football history," and had anticipated a huge turnout of fans.
Similarly, Messi's absence has left fans feeling disappointed and frustrated. Despite the Argentine FA having made an initial provision for a friendly match in India, FIFA's approval has not been forthcoming, and it now seems likely that the world champions will not make an appearance in the country.
The disappointment is compounded by the fact that Indian football is currently experiencing a period of uncertainty, with the 2025-26 Indian Super League season delayed due to contractual and legal issues. The national team's recent performances have also been underwhelming, with defeats against Hong Kong and Singapore leaving them out of contention for the 2027 Asian Cup.
While Ronaldo and Messi's absence may not have changed the fortunes of Indian football, their presence would have undoubtedly brought a welcome boost to the sport. Fans will now have to wait and see if the club and country can mount a successful challenge in the AFC Champions League Two without two of the world's greatest players on board.
it's crazy how things used to be back in 2010 when Ronaldo and Messi first came to India for a friendly match 
they were like superstars overnight! now its 2025 and we're still waiting for them to come back 
the AFC Champions League is all about who can make the most noise without those two giants on the pitch, it's just not gonna be the same 
️ my cousin went to watch Ronaldo in India back then and he said it was life changing experience 
now we're just hoping that Indian football can recover from this disappointment 
... like, i get it, they're legends and all that but can we talk about how awesome the streets in mumbai look with all the street food stalls? 
anyway, back to indian footy... think the league should focus more on developing domestic talent instead of just relying on imports. like, i know ronaldo & messi are superstars but they're not gonna solve all our problems 
. this might not be a huge shock given the saudi pro league commitments and the argie fa's approval process is pretty slow 
i mean, its not like ronaldo and messi were gonna make all the difference or something. they'd still have had to work with the players we've got here. but at the same time, its kinda sad that we're not even given a shot at seeing them in action. like, cant we just have some decent football for once? 
for this match and now its just cancelled out 
i feel bad for all the fans who were saving up to go watch them play 
and now there's even less football in india 
what can we do to make indian football better 
.
. I mean, we've been stuck in this rut for ages, and now you're telling me that even these legends aren't coming to help us out? 
It's like the universe is just trolling us at this point.
. Can we just have a straightforward season for once? 
I swear, I've lost count of how many times the calendar has been rescheduled already.
. Until then, we're stuck with this mess 
. It's true, the Indian Super League is having a rough patch and needs all the help it can get, but still 
. Indian football's got some catching up to do, but I still think there's hope 
. either they dont show up or it gets cancelled at last min. how r u gonna build momentum in football when u cant even get the biggest names to visit? 