In 1911, a football match in Calcutta (now Kolkata) caused a social upheaval.

Mohun Bagan became the first Indian team to lift the coveted IFA Shield beating a British team, East Yorkshire Regiment, 2-1 in the final. This victory had massive political and social connotations and established the city as the nerve centre of football in India.

This match also heralded the start of Calcutta’s love affair with football. Passionate following for the game got further buttressed with the Mohun Bagan and East Bengal rivalry the oldest and largest in Asia, which started in a league match in 1925. This craze for football attracted foreign teams to the city. Rangoon Customs played in the 1929 IFA Shield.

Seventy-five years ago, the first foreign national team to play in Kolkata, was China’s Olympic team in 1936. The tickets for the match were sold out within a day. A ticket of only 6 annas (then 16 annas made a rupee) was sold in black for more than Rs 40.

This price for a ticket is incredible, especially in relation to the market price of commodities those days, when two maunds (around 75 kgs) of rice was available for just Rs 4.

For decades Kolkata has been Indian football’s El Dorado, a place to seek fame and riches. Retired internationals I.M. Vijayan and Parminder Singh always maintained that it is the only city in India, in which Indian football players get hero-worshipped and adored.

Several ex-internationals who came to play in the Kolkata clubs, like Tulsidas Balaram, Syed Nayeemuddin and Shyam Thapa settled in the City of Joy after retirement.

With the advent of satellite television and regular screening of the World Cup, football passion in Kolkata also acquired an international dimension.

The fans have divided loyalties, some support Brazil and some root for Argentina. In this era of social networking and instant communication, the fame of Kolkata as a passionate football centre spread far and wide.

Legends like Pele (played here on 24 September 1977), Zico (2004 as Japan’s coach), Oliver Kahn (benefit match May 2008) and Diego Forlan came and were bowled over by football’s popularity in this city. For years India has been seen as an untapped market by both European clubs and the mandarins of Fifa.

So inevitably Kolkata was the choice for Fifa’s first friendly match on Indian soil, Argentina vs Venezuela.

Due to globalisation this match could also have a major social significance. It can make Kolkata an exotic location for foreign football teams to display their skills, sell their merchandise and earn generously.

The benefits of this match are not directly tangibly but plentiful. Lionel Messi’s scintillating skills can inspire many youngsters to play the game seriously.

Local cuisine, nolen gur fillings in chocolates, sandesh and aam shotto, served to both teams could soon become international cuisine. Above all the Salt Lake Stadium has got a much needed renovation and facelift, a boost for Kolkata football.

Carlos Bilardo’s Argentina played here when the stadium was inaugurated in 1984 and two years later won the World Cup. Will history repeat itself for Messi and Alejandro Sabella’s team in 2014?