Minerva Academy is honored during Lionel Messi’s GOAT India Tour

The prodigies of Minerva Academy, who won three European youth trophies earlier this year, will be honored in the presence of Lionel Messi during the GOAT Tour of India in New Delhi.

The Under-14/15 squad of 22 players from the Punjab-based academy toured Europe in July and August, winning three major youth tournaments – Gothia Cup in Sweden, Dana Cup in Denmark and Norway Cup in Norway – and reaching the final of the Helsinki Cup in Finland.

“I was very pleasantly surprised last week when we were told that not only do we have the honor of doing that, but we have also been given the responsibility of organizing a celebrity match there as well, a 9v9 match,” says Ranjit Bajaj, the founder of Minerva Academy. Sports stars.

Messi, who won the last edition of the FIFA World Cup, will tour four Indian cities starting with Kolkata on December 13. He will then travel to Mumbai the next day after a stopover in Hyderabad, before making his third stop in the national capital.

«It’s a huge honor to actually be able to showcase Indian junior football. I truly believe this is among the best we have (as a country),» Bajaj added.

«A special field is being prepared for the event in the middle of the stadium. Messi will also do some coaching clinics for small children.»

Minerva, who also previously owned Punjab FC, has regularly featured in youth tournaments across Europe in recent years and became the first Indian side to win the Gothia Cup in 2023, a tournament that had paved the way for legends such as Andrea Pirlo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The club will also soon have a connection with Messi.

Next year, Minerva plans to travel to Spain’s Costa Brava for the MIC Cup – a tournament where 16-year-old Messi turned heads in 2003 before making his senior debut for Barcelona a year later.

The most recent star to emerge from that tournament is Lamine Yamal. He is now European champion and two-time winner of the Kopa Trophy.

“For the first time in the history of Indian football, someone is going to take on teams like Barcelona,” Bajaj added. “Even though it’s an age-group tournament, it has (youth sides from) Barcelona, ​​​​Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United – it’s like the Club World Cup for the juniors.”

Earlier, Messi was scheduled to play an international friendly in Kerala last month but the match was cancelled.

But the sight of a World Cup-winning captain and an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, albeit without matchday action, up close, is sure to attract millions of fans and inspire a generation that has already made inroads into Europe.

Published on December 5, 2025