5 Ballon d'Or winners who played in India

#1 Lionel Messi

The Messiah shows off trophy number 5 to the crowd in Camp Nou

The Argentine maestro, Lionel Messi, who is considered to be the greatest to have ever played the game, visited India in 2011. Argentina played a game against fellow South Americans Venezuela in a friendly game, which featured Messi.

This game would also turn out to be the beginning of something special as Alejandro Sabella, the man who led Argentina to the World Cup finals would begin his tenure with the Albiceliste in Kolkata.

Sabella handed the captain’s armband to Lionel Messi upon his arrival and started off with a 1-0 victory over Venezuela. Argentina played good football creating many chances during the game. The solitary goal came through Manchester City defender who then played for Porto Nicolas Otamendi headed home from a Lionel Messi corner. The crowd in the Salt Lake City stadium would surely cherish the night they watched the greatest on their home turf.