Over two thousand delirious soccer lovers gave sleep the miss as they danced, cried and shouted slogans eulogising football magician Lionel Messi, who arrived in Kolkata early Wednesday amid stringent security for Friday's first ever FIFA official international friendly in the Indian sub-continent featuring Argentina and Venezuela.

However, the large number of people, who were waiting for hours at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport to welcome the Argentine superstar, were left heartbroken as the organisers packed him into a vehicle from the tarmac and drove him out of the airport through a sidegate.