Miles away from Argentina, Messi’s farewell hits home for his Indian fans

Almost 15,000km away from Argentina, Messi’s magical presence on the field left a lasting mark on fans across India. Save Share 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? 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’slast dancewith Argentina, a game 21 years in the making. 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. 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. 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. But not once did he feel anxious about the risk he was taking. “I prayed to God that Messi wins the World 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 atQatar 2022. “Now, nothing feels like a big challenge to me.” Proving the saying “fortune favours the brave” right, Iqbal found the coveted match ticket hours after landing in 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”. But for Iqbal, who has named his toddler son “Lian Messil” – a wordplay on Lionel Messi – it is a small price to pay. 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 themost-capped playerin Argentinian 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. 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. Iqbal, too, has a special touch of his own. A massive mural – 32 feet in height and 20 feet in width (9....