'Please calm down, it's 3 am': Staff pleads with folded hands at Lionel Messi's hotel in Kolkata

“ delight, still shoot down. It’s 3 am. Go to slumber, delight. Good night, please,” a person in suits said with folded hands, his voice cracking slightly as he appealed to a sea of sleepless fans at Kolkata’s Hyatt Regency Hotel. The moment, caught on video and widely circulated on social media by Saturday morning, summed up the scale of Lionel Messi’s arrival in the city.

HT couldn't independently verify the identity of the person. The appeal came hours after the Argentine superstar landed in Kolkata at 2.26 am to kick off his GOAT India Tour 2025. While Messi was swiftly escorted out of the airport under heavy security, hundreds of fans made their way to the Hyatt Regency, where the footballer was staying, determined not to miss a chance of seeing him — no matter how late the hour.

By 3 am, the hotel lobby and adjoining corridors were packed. Chants of “Messi! Messi!” echoed through the building as supporters ran between entrances and elevators, hoping the legend might emerge. Security personnel struggled to hold back the crowd, prompting the staff members to make an emotional request for calm, citing the player's exhaustion after a long journey.

The video showed fans momentarily pausing as the staffer folded his hands, urging them to understand that Messi was tired and needed rest. The plea, however, did little to dampen the frenzy, with supporters lingering well past dawn in sky-blue Argentina jerseys, scarves and flags.

Messi, who arrived in the city along with Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, was taken to the hotel through a back entrance around 3.30 am, leaving many fans disappointed after waiting through the cold December night. Only a handful of airport staff had managed a fleeting glimpse of him as he stepped off his private jet, dressed in a black suit over a white T-shirt.

Inside the Hyatt, the lobby resembled a makeshift Argentine fan zone. Families arrived with children in tow, some infants cradled in their mothers’ arms, while exhausted fans collapsed onto sofas after hours of waiting. The entire seventh floor was sealed off as Messi checked into Room 730, with security at its tightest.

Some supporters went to extraordinary lengths to stay close, booking rooms at the hotel despite knowing there was no guarantee of seeing the football icon. Among them was a family from New Alipore, who checked in a day early so their son would not miss what they saw as a once-in-a-lifetime moment.

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