Argentina captain Lionel Messi, widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers on the planet, has had a forgettable time in FIFA World Cup 2018 – where his team finds itself on brink of elimination from the quadrennial extravaganza. Messi might still be searching for his first goal in the tournament, but that hasn’t affected his massive fan following as his followers gear up to celebrate his birthday in style.
Messi, who turns 31 on Sunday, is a global icon and his fans across the globe are leaving no stone unturned in making the day a memorable one for their champion player. Kolkata-based Shib Shankar Patra, one of Messi’s ardent followers, showed his passion and love for the striker when he painted his house in white and blue ahead of the World Cup. Messi’s form has made no impact on Patra, who will be celebrating the legend’s birthday with his wife and two kids.
“It will be no different this time,” Patra’s daughter Neha told IANS. When asked whether he watched Argentina’s previous game against Croatia, Patra, said, “I did not watch the game against Croatia. I told my daughter to watch as I felt if I don’t watch, maybe they will win. Superstitions you see.”
The family is elated as Messi’s birthday collides with the most watched sporting event on the planet. “We cannot stop rooting for Argentina and Messi. It’s in our blood. The birthday celebrations will go on as planned and although it would have tasted sweeter had we won, there is always a next time,” Neha added.
Argentina are in dire straits in Group D, where after their 1-1 draw against Iceland, a game where Messi failed to score on a penalty, they suffered a shocking 0-3 loss against Croatia. Messi and his men now need to win their next game against Nigeria and also hope for some other results to go in their favour in order to make it to the round of 16.