FIFA World Cup winner Lionel Messi sends signed Argentina jersey to BCCI Secretary Jay Shah
2022 FIFA World Cup winner Lionel Messi has sent a signed Argentina jersey to BCCI Secretary Jay Shah, an Instagram post by Pragyan Ojha has revealed.
The Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) forward was mesmeric in La Albiceleste's World Cup win as he won the Golden Ball after scoring seven goals and providing three assists in the tournament. He scored a brace in the final, which finished 3-3 in regular time, and converted his penalty in the subsequent shootout.
The South American nation won 4-2 on penalties, which meant that Lionel Messi finally got his hands on the World Cup trophy on his fifth attempt. He appears to have sent a priceless piece of memorabilia to Shah, who is the son of Indian Home Minister Amith Shah and the secretary of BCCI.
An Instagram post by Ojha, who played for the Indian cricket team as a left-arm spinner between 2008 and 2013, showcased him and Shah holding the jersey. The caption read:
"#GOAT sends his best wishes & signed match jersey for jay bhai! What a humble personality. Hopefully, I will get one for myself… Soon 🤞🏽."
Ojha is currently serving as an Indian Cricketers' Association representative on the governing council. Shah, meanwhile, has been the BCCI secretary since 2019 and seems to follow the sport of football as well.
Following the full-time whistle in the Lusail Iconic Stadium on 18 December, Shah tweeted:
"What an incredible game of football! Both teams played extraordinarily well but congratulations to Argentina for winning their 3rd #FIFAWorldCup! A well-deserved victory."
What an incredible game of football! Both teams played extraordinarily well but congratulations to Argentina for winning their 3rd #FIFAWorldCup! A well-deserved victory. https://t.co/3J2z7hlxGQ
2014 World Cup winner sends message to Lionel Messi after Argentina beat France
Lionel Messi's fan following transcends boundaries. Many of the players who shared the pitch with him as an opponent in the past have come forward to congratulate him on his World Cup achievement.
Bastian Schweinsteiger, who was in the Germany team that beat Argentina in the final of the 2014 World Cup, congratulated Messi following the win against France.
He tweeted:
"What a match! 🤯 Congratulations to @Argentina 🇦🇷🏆 With the World Cup title, #Messi has finally crowned his great career 👏🏼 #FIFAWorldCup"
With the World Cup title, #Messi has finally crowned his great career 
🏼 #FIFAWorldCupWhat a match! 🤯 Congratulations to @Argentina 🇦🇷🏆 With the World Cup title, #Messi has finally crowned his great career 👏🏼 #FIFAWorldCup
Schweinsteiger was also in the German team that dispatched La Albiceleste in the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup by a 4-0 margin.
Those two matches will no longer haunt the former Barcelona forward, as he has finally won the one trophy which evaded him for so long.