- Friday, March 07, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
It’s almost time for the FIFA World Cup and like in every edition of the marquee tournament, football fever has gripped India as it has elsewhere in the globe. Fan following for the two Latin American giants — Brazil and Argentina — is particularly high in the South Asian nation and glimpses of the craze were visible in the southern state of Kerala where some boys have installed a massive cutout of Argentinian captain Lionel Messi.
The 35-year-old star, who is often called a successor to Argentinian legend Diego Maradona, will be playing in his final World Cup in Qatar where he would like to lift the crown, something that he hasn’t been able to do in his career. The nearest Messi came to winning the trophy was in 2014 when Argentina lost 0-1 to Germany. The last time the La Albiceleste won the World Cup was in 1986 in Mexico, an edition which still remains special in the heart of several football fans as ‘Maradona special’.
In Kozhikode in Kerala, the fans of Argentina and Messi placed the footballer’s cutout in the middle of a river and it became viral online. Also a video of devoted fans carrying the enormous cutout through the community spread like wildfire. One of the boys also has a flag of Argentina and a board reading, “Argentina fans Pullavor.”
Behind the Scene
Messi ???#VamosArgentina ?? pic.twitter.com/ySzaWQCn9y— rizwan_m.m (@Rlzw4n) October 31, 2022
The video was shared by Twitter handle @Rlzw4n. The user wrote in caption, “Behind the Scene Messi #VamosArgentina.”
Argentina are clubbed with Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Poland in Group C of the tournament this time. They kick off their campaign against the Saudis at the Lusail Iconic Stadium in Lusail on November 22.
