Rendezvous with the GOAT: Rowan Arumughan reminisces about refereeing Lionel Messi in Kolkata

“If they hear my name in the football club, they will know me. But if I stand in the crowd, no one will know me,” says Rowan Arumughan.

The former FIFA referee remains relevant in Indian football due to his partnership with Lionel Messi, who prepares to revisit these shores for the first time in 14 years for the pan-India GOAT Tour. Rowan, who hails from Palakkad, has the unique honor of having officiated Argentina’s friendly against Venezuela at the Salt Lake Stadium in Calcutta in 2011.

At the time, Messi was a global star in the making with multiple Champions League titles and two Ballon d’Or victories. In fact, the friendly match was the first time he wore the captain’s armband The Albiceleste. Since then, he has achieved superstar status by winning several accolades, culminating in leading Argentina to World Cup victory in Qatar in 2022.

When news broke that Argentina would be playing in Kolkata, Rowan’s original plan was to apply for leave from his then employer, the Indian Air Force, to watch the match as a spectator. But fate had other plans for him.

“I was then told through the Asian Football Confederation that I had been selected to referee the match,” he recalls. «I couldn’t believe myself. I asked my wife to pinch me.»

But after taking it in, he realized he had a job to do. «When I entered that phase, there was no Messi, nothing. I didn’t enjoy that game as a spectator. I was just doing my job. That was the whole point when I was appointed and that’s how it should be,» he makes clear.

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The preparation was not easy due to the lack of video footage of Argentina’s opponent Venezuela.

«The way they play, the pattern and the style, everything is different compared to Argentina. So it was difficult for me to get the input for the Venezuelan team. Then I contacted some of my friends who have participated in big tournaments like the World Cups to get some input,» he recalls.

During that match he came across another name for the first time: Nicolas Ladislao Fedor Flores, better known as Miku. Miku would have a short, successful stint in the Indian Super League with Bengaluru FC, where they crossed paths again.

Despite the preparations, their nerves calmed down within three hours before they had to leave the hotel for the stadium, Rowan admits. «My colleague Dinesh Nair observed me and knew from the nervousness that something was happening inside me. He understood my situation and calmed me down. But once we got to the tunnel and the FIFA song sounded, I was normal,» he says.

For Rowan, the key was not to let the occasion get to him and ensure there were no mistakes on his part by the time he blew the final whistle.

«I didn’t want to make a big mistake that would hamper the result. That was the tension. Mistakes will happen here and there, but every important decision should not go the other way around and affect the result. So that was the thought process,» he says.

Rowan says that even though Messi didn’t speak English, communication wasn’t a problem. «Everything was sign language or body language. That’s also common when we go out to referee. It’s a connecting language used by referees. And when I had to talk to him, there was someone who spoke English, like Javier Mascherano or Angel Di Maria, nearby,» he says. “Even a few Venezuelan players knew the language after playing lower-league football in England.”

About the match itself, he says, «due to the friendly status, the intensity was less. I have played many more competitive matches than that match because of the pace of the match and the challenges surrounding it.»

The now retired Rowan, who was an AIFF refereeing instructor until October, remembers the match as ‘just another match’ in his career. «But while in my department, Indian Air Force, I was considered special. Because I didn’t have much problem in getting my international clearance to go abroad as an officer,» he says.

While several of Messi’s fans are clamoring to catch a glimpse of the superstar footballer during his upcoming visit next week, Rowan can count himself among the lucky few to share the pitch with him.

“It’s a smooth way to introduce yourself,” Rowan chuckles.

Published on December 12, 2025