We Can Bring Lionel Messi, But We Cannot Play the FIFA World Cup: What Indian Football Has Forgotten

India's Football Paradox

There is something deeply ironic about modern Indian football. We can spend enormous sums to bring Lionel Messi, arguably the greatest footballer of his generation, to Indian soil. Stadiums can be packed, sponsors can line up, television ratings can soar, and social media can explode. Yet when the FIFA World Cup begins, India is nowhere to be found.

The contrast is difficult to ignore. A nation of more than 1.4 billion people passionately follows Argentina, Brazil, Portugal, France and other footballing giants, but has never watched its own men's national team walk onto football's biggest stage.

This is not a criticism of Lionel Messi or football fans. It is a question about priorities.

From Mohun Bagan's 1911 Glory to a Century of Missed Opportunities

Indian football was not always a story of unrealised potential.

In 1911, Mohun Bagan defeated the East Yorkshire Regiment 2-1 to win the prestigious IFA Shield, becoming the first all-Indian team to lift the trophy. With several players competing barefoot against booted British soldiers, the victory became much more than a sporting achievement. It emerged as a powerful symbol of national pride during India's freedom movement.

Few would have imagined that more than a century later India would still be searching for relevance in global football.

While countries with far fewer resources have established competitive football ecosystems and qualified repeatedly for the FIFA World Cup, India has largely remained on the outside looking in.

The ISL Changed the Business of Football, But Did It Change Indian Football?

The launch of the Indian Super League (ISL) transformed football commercially in India. Modern stadiums, international coaches, foreign players, improved broadcasting standards, sponsorships and professional club management helped give Indian football unprecedented visibility.

There is little doubt that the league elevated the commercial profile of the sport.

However, one difficult question remains unanswered.

Has the ISL significantly improved India's standing in world football?

The purpose of any domestic football structure should ultimately be to strengthen the national team. Successful leagues do not simply generate revenue; they consistently develop players capable of competing at the highest international level.

Japan and South Korea built professional leagues alongside strong grassroots programmes, youth academies, coaching education and long-term football planning. Today, both nations are regular FIFA World Cup participants and consistently challenge elite footballing nations.

India has successfully created a football product. It has not yet created a football powerhouse.

Bringing Lionel Messi Is Not the Same as Building Football

The excitement surrounding Lionel Messi's visit to India demonstrated the country's extraordinary passion for football.

However, reports surrounding the event also triggered larger questions about investment priorities.

According to statements made during a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the organisation of the event, approximately ₹100 crore was allegedly spent, including claims that around ₹89 crore went towards Messi's appearance while taxes accounted for another ₹11 crore. These figures form part of an ongoing investigation and should not be interpreted as judicial findings.

Whether the final amount proves to be ₹100 crore or otherwise, the broader debate remains relevant.

Should Indian football celebrate spending enormous sums to host football legends while continuing to struggle to build a national team capable of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup?

This is not the first time India has welcomed football royalty. Diego Maradona visited Kolkata in 2008 and received a hero's welcome. Pelé also played exhibition matches in India decades earlier. Each visit generated excitement, unforgettable memories and widespread media attention.

Yet none fundamentally changed the trajectory of Indian football.

Icons can inspire.

They cannot replace development.

Where Should the Investment Go?

The blueprint for football development is neither new nor complicated.

Countries that have succeeded on the global stage invested patiently across every level of the football pyramid.

• Grassroots coaching programmes
• School and college competitions
• Local and state leagues
• Football academies
• Sports science and performance analysis
• Referee development
• Modern infrastructure
• Long-term player pathways

Too often, Indian football appears to prioritise headline-making events over system-building.

Hosting exhibition matches creates national headlines.

Developing thousands of young footballers rarely does.

But that is precisely where lasting success begins.

The Legacy Indian Football Should Pursue

Football remains one of the simplest sports in the world. A ball, an open space and two goals are enough to begin.

Several countries with significantly smaller populations and fewer financial resources have reached football's biggest stage because they consistently invested in identifying and nurturing talent.

India possesses passionate supporters, vast commercial potential and millions of children who dream of becoming professional footballers.

What has often been missing is sustained execution.

No football fan would object to watching Lionel Messi play in India. Such occasions inspire young athletes and celebrate the global appeal of the game.

But inspiration without opportunity eventually becomes frustration.

Imagine if the same determination used to organise high-profile international events were channelled into identifying talent in villages, improving coaching education, strengthening state football associations and building clear pathways from school football to the national team.

That would be an investment capable of transforming Indian football for generations.

Indian Football Deserves Bigger Dreams

The greatest tribute India can pay to Lionel Messi is not organising another exhibition match.

It is creating a football ecosystem that one day allows Indian footballers to compete against players like Messi on the world's biggest stage.

More than a century has passed since Mohun Bagan's historic IFA Shield triumph in 1911. That victory proved Indians could compete with the best of their era.

The decades that followed should have marked the beginning of a football revolution.

Instead, they became a reminder of unrealised potential.

India has celebrated football legends from every corner of the world.

Perhaps it is finally time to create legends of its own.

Because history will not remember how many times India hosted Lionel Messi.

History will remember the day Indian football finally earned its place at the FIFA World Cup.