Indian football fans celebrate Lionel Messi's 30th birthday in West Bengal
What’s the story?
A set of football enthusiasts who form a part of the Ichapore Argentina Fans Club from Ichapore, a town in West Bengal, hosted a party on the occasion of Lionel Messi’s 30th birthday earlier today.
If the Hindu Parishad can perform a havan as a good luck charm for Donald Trump, then there is absolutely nothing wrong in fans going all out to wish their idol, after all, we know the love Bengalis have for football.
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Ichapore falls under one of India’s most football crazy states and has a dense population of about 100,000. The celebrations kicked off as early as 6:30 AM, accompanied by blue and white birthday cakes and balloons, and the members of the fan club even went on to a paint a building to match the famous blue and white colours of Argentina.
The fans came out in full support of the ‘Messiah’ of world football on his special day and of course, there was also a prayer service that was offered for the well-being and success of the Barcelona superstar.
Also read: Lionel Messi at 30: Where to now for football's greatest artist?
Despite being 16,000 kms away from Buenos Aires, the capital city of Argentina, the fans in India made sure that the special occasion was treated in a very authentic manner.
The heart of the matter
A global superstar like Messi transcends the borders set by language or culture and the Argentine is widely regarded as one of the greatest ever players to have graced the football pitch.
The act in itself, by his supporters in Ichapore, reiterates the fact that he is an icon almost everywhere in the world.
Also read: 10 iconic images from Lionel Messi's career
The huge fan following for the player in India was clearly evident when he came to the country in 2011 to play an international friendly against Venezuela. The game was played in a jam-packed Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata and Messi then revealed that India left a “lasting impression” on him as a player and an individual during his visit.
Images
They even made an invitation banner
Author’s take
Messi is an idol for a majority of the youngsters in the country and even though they are a thousand miles away from the Nou Camp, these fans have taken Messi as one of their own.