Messi super fan travels from India to Argentina for idol’s final game
What lengths would you go to prove your love for your sporting idol, especially when they are one of the greatest to have graced the football field?
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they → travel → field
For Lionel Messi’s superfan Yadil Iqbal, it took 40 hours of travel and thousands of dollars in expenses, all to tick off a bucket list: the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to watch the diminutive forward’s last dance with Argentina, a game 21 years in the making.
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it → take → making
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IOC → question → Olympics
But even as Iqbal packed his bags – carefully tucking the blue-and-white Argentina jersey and a special watch he hoped to gift Messi – there was a little twist in the story.
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he → pack → story
When he left his hometown Kodungallur in the southern Indian state of Kerala to attend Messi’s farewell friendly against Benin, the internet-popular creator did not have a ticket to Tuesday’s match at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires.
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creator → leave → Aires
During the 15,000km (about 9,300 miles) journey, which involved multiple stops and long waits at airports, Iqbal documented his trip for his 1.7 million followers on Instagram.
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Iqbal → involve → Instagram
But not once did he feel anxious about the risk he was taking.
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he → feel → risk
“I prayed to God that Messi wins the World Cup.
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Messi → pray → Cup
Four years ago, He made it happen, and I saw it with my naked eyes,” Iqbal told Al Jazeera, referring to Messi’s first-ever World Cup victory at Qatar 2022.
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Iqbal → make → Qatar
“Now, nothing feels like a big challenge to me.”
Proving the saying “fortune favours the brave” right
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fortune → feel → brave
, Iqbal found the coveted match ticket hours after landing in Argentina.
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Iqbal → find → Argentina
Getting his hands on it at the last minute in the resale market meant paying $1,000, a price he described as “three times the original value”.
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he → get → value
But for Iqbal, who has named his toddler son “Lian Messil” – a wordplay on Lionel Messi – it is a small price to pay.
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it → name → Messi
Like Iqbal, much of Kerala, as well as Kolkata in the eastern state of West Bengal, is crazy for the record eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, also the most-capped player in Argentinian history.
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much → cap → history
He may be born in Rosario, but to the thousands of supporters in those states and millions countrywide, he is one of their own.
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he → bear → own
Come any World Cup, parts of neighbourhoods in Kerala resemble a sea of sky blue-and-white – be it the Argentina flags hanging outside houses or, in some cases, the humble abode itself painted in the colours of the Albiceleste.
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it → resemble → Albiceleste
Iqbal, too, has a special touch of his own.
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Iqbal → have → own
A massive mural – 32 feet in height and 20 feet in width (9.75 metres by 6 metres) – featuring Messi’s major trophies is his way of showing his love for the Inter Miami forward.
“I got that built near my house after Argentina won the 2021 Copa America, but Messi saw it on Instagram only in June this year when I wished him happy birthday,” Iqbal recalls.
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Iqbal → feature → birthday
“I learned Spanish from Google Translate, posted the video online and luckily, he thanked me in the comments, taking my name.
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he → learn → name
‘He’s our idol’
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He → ’ → ?
In the metropolitan city of Mumbai in western India, for Sagar Shinde, who has grown up watching Messi play, the thought of seeing the greatest of all time (GOAT) wear the Argentina jersey for the last time left him in tears.
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greatest → grow → tears
“Do you want me to cry again?” he said when asked about his emotions a day before the game.
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he → want → game
“I am going to continue watching football, but the man who made me fall in love with the game will not be around for the team I support.”
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I → go → team
Shinde’s love for Messi knows no bounds.
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love → know → bounds
He declined to choose between his engagement day and Messi’s World Cup triumph when asked to pick one as his best memory.
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He → decline → memory
A tattoo on his forearm speaks volumes.
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tattoo → speak → volumes
It bears the date on which Messi lifted the World Cup trophy in Qatar, finally stepping out of the shadow of the late Diego Maradona.
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Messi → bear → Maradona
“I challenged my friend that if Messi wins the trophy, we should get a tattoo of him.
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we → challenge → him
When it happened, I told him, ‘God has given us what we wanted, so we have to live up to our promise’,” Shinde, a creative producer and sports content creator, said.
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Shinde → happen → promise
Like several others, he started following La Liga club Barcelona and the Argentina national team only because of one man: Messi.
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he → start → man
He is also the cofounder of fan club FCB Mumbai, which hosts screenings of Barcelona and Argentina matches.
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which → host → matches
Keeping up with South American football action is no joke for those living in South Asia; watching live games often demands staying up way past midnight or waking up before the crack of dawn.
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watching → keep → dawn
But the eight-and-a-half-hour time difference was hardly a problem for the Messi and Argentina fans, with hundreds turning up for the 4:30am kickoff screening in Mumbai and beyond on Wednesday.
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hundreds → turn → Wednesday
“Messi is unique,” Shinde said, describing the ex-Barcelona player’s talent.
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Shinde → say → talent
“If you watch football, you have to admire Messi.
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you → watch → Messi
His elegance, dribbling skills, and the way he conducts the play … everything.
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he → conduct → play
“Even when Argentina are playing badly, Messi is still good.
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Messi → play → ?
He’s that kind of player – he can touch the ball and create magic in a second.”
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he → ’ → second
“He is an idol because he motivates us so much; he never gave up.”
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he → motivate → us
Why Messi means so much to football
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Messi → mean → football
…and 15 more, not listed.
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