1,200 miles away from home,to cheer Messi

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. There comes a moment in everybody’s life when all other things become immaterial. For me,watching Argentina and Messi is one such occasion. Now my life is made and I can die a happy man,” says Pereira. “I heard about Kolkata’s passion for football. Now I have become a part of it. This is a visit that I will treasure.”

Azad Maidan,the lifeline of Mumbai cricket,is more popular than the Cooperage ground among the city’s youths. For Pereira,however,it was different. Cooperage used to be the permanent venue for the Rovers Cup football tournament and a young Pereira fell in love with the game watching clubs like Mohun Bagan and East Bengal play.

“I studied at Sacred Heart School,which used to have a strong football team. I was their right half. After I joined St. Andrew’s College,I got into managing the game. I was the sports secretary during my final year. I am 43 now but still play football,” he says.

His love affair with Argentina started in 1978 when the team won the World Cup on their own patch. “There was not enough media coverage during those days and a few video clippings and sports magazines were my tenuous link to Mario Kempes & Co. I became a fan of Argentina because of Kempes. Then Doordarshan beamed the World Cup live in 1986. It was the year Diego Maradona took the world by storm. Maradona sealed my affection for Argentina,” Pereira says.

Football runs in Pereira’s family. His uncle,the late Olaf Pereira,used to play for Dempo Sports Club. “It’s easy to follow the game when you are young and have a lot of spare time. But I have maintained my passion even after getting a job.”

If Maradona is the “god” of football,then Messi is the “prince” waiting for his coronation. “I was heartbroken when Maradona left. Messi saved me. The man is elegance personified. I am a fan of Barcelona because of him,” says Pereira.

Try telling him Messi is not as successful for his national team as he is for his club and Pereira shoots back: “Those who say this simply don’t understand football. If Argentina’s defence is not good enough to hold on to their lead,what can Messi do? We (Argentina) lost in the last World Cup and in this year’s Copa America due to weak defence. I hope the new coach,Alejandro Sabella,does something before the 2014 World Cup.”

Pereira has one regret,though. “I have two daughters but they are not that interested in sports. They watch the odd English Premier League game on telly but that’s about it,” he says.