Argentina football legend Lionel Messi is set to visit India in December this year. And if reports are to be believed, Messi might trade his football studs for cricket spikes and feature in a celebrity cricket match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

This match might also feature the likes of Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma apart from Sachin Tendulkar. Work is underway to finalize the match's logistics. According to reports, a reputable event firm has asked the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) to reserve the field for Messi's anticipated December 14 visit to Mumbai as part of a promotional tour of India.

“Messi will be at Wankhede Stadium on December 14. He is likely to play a cricket match, too, with former and current cricketers. The organisers will come up with a complete schedule once everything is finalised,” a MCA source told The Indian Express.

Messi is expected to travel to Kolkata and New Delhi during his brief stay, which is most likely to take place from December 13 to 15. After the Argentine World Cup winner traveled to play an international friendly against Venezuela at Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium in 2011, this will be Messi's second trip to India and his first in fourteen years.

There were earlier rumors that Messi and the rest of the Argentina national football team might travel to India for a friendly in October. Following an agreement between the state government and the Argentina Football Association (AFA) to host two La Albiceleste games in Kerala, Kerala's Sports Minister V Abdurahiman made this announcement. However, that plan has been put on hold, it is learnt.

Messi, 38, currently represents Inter Miami in Major League Soccer and is aiming for one final FIFA World Cup appearance next year. After guiding Argentina to the title in 2022, he hopes to bow out on home soil, with the tournament set to be held in the USA.