Messi-merised

the sport a much-needed boost

Twelve hours of flying and a sleepless night later,Dipayan Sinha Roy is still beaming. For,he was one of the lucky few who caught a glimpse of Lionnel Messi,as the Argentinian soccer heart-throb landed in Kolkata in the wee hours of Wednesday. The software professional,who happened to be at the international terminal on his way back from Amsterdam,says,“The moment I landed,I heard a buzz that Messi would be landing some time soon. I lounged around pointlessly hoping to catch a glimpse of the star.” His ‘feat’ — a grainy cellphone snap of the soccer star being rushed out of the terminal amid heavy security.

And while the Messi fever grips the entire nation,three travelling fans from Pune,Moiz Bandukwala,Samarth Salvi and Nikhil Jacob have a different view on it. “We are not going only to watch Messi play. But the fact that we will be cheering with one lakh football fans itself is a big thing for us.” The trio have even made a banner that reads ‘And people say India is a cricket crazy nation’. We wanted to emphasise on the fact that an international friendly being played in India is garnering so much attention and that this country is ready for sports like football to take over,” says Jacob. The three of them bought the tickets on Bookmytickets.com and will be sitting in the Rs 2400 ticket stands. “Of course the highlight of the game is Messi playing,but more than that it is about an international match being played in India and the huge support and fan following that they have gathered,” says Bandukwala Anticipating that this would give Indian football a shot-in-the-arm,sports enthusiasts are also raving. “I just hope Messi’s trip renews people’s interest in the indigenous version of the sport,” says Srijan Roy Chowdhury,an analyst working with an international bank,who will not be able to make it to the city but will be “there in spirit”. Brand publisher Debolin Sen,who will be flying down to Kolkata from Mumbai for the match,says,“Just a few days ago,Liverpool launched their football academy in India. Arsenal also conducted a nationwide hunt for young talent some years ago. FC Barcelona has their academy in India. This match will go a long way in bringing money,recognition and quality to Indian football.”

(Inputs by Rohan Swamy)