Lionel Messi’s move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain was made official on August 8, shocking fans across the world. The Argentine captain had been playing for Futbol Club Barcelona (FCB, also known as Barca) since his competitive debut in 2004. Fans in Kerala were also distraught. On Instagram alone, there are more than 15 fan pages by Kerala-based fans with the number of members ranging from 3,000 to 90,000.
Football fan frenzy
Seventeen year-old Irin is a member of Messi Fans Kerala (MFK), one of the many social media groups dedicated to Messi. She would like to go by ‘Irin Leo’ but since she can’t she prefers to be ‘only’ Irin. “I did call myself that for some time, then changed my mind. It was seen as over the top,” says the Messi fan who hasn’t slept properly since the footballer left Barcelona and joined Paris Saint-Germain. She calls herself ‘_lapulga.girl’ [La Pulga Girl] on Instagram — one of Messi’s nicknames is ‘La Pulga Atomica’ (The Atomic Flea).
Irin
“It is only now that I can even talk about it; till the last minute we thought that he wouldn’t leave,” says Irin who hails from Kothamangalam near Kochi. For her, Messi’s move is a personal loss, though she can’t tell why.
MFK has 14 WhatsApp groups dedicated to football, each with 200-odd members. Irin is a very active member of the women’s WhatsApp group of the footballer’s fans. Invariably all Messi fans are also fans of the Argentinian team.
- Enquiries for PSG merchandise, especially number 30, have started pouring in, says Mohammed Ershad of Regal Sports, a sporting goods shop in Kochi. “Fortunately, the season is done and our supply of Barcelona number 10 jerseys are over. We have given orders for the PSG jerseys. They are due any time. Messi jerseys make for 70% of the sale figures of jerseys. I think there are enough Messi fans, who want to wear his colours and number irrespective of which club he is in,” he says.
Mohammed Musharraf from Kottakkal, Malappuram, who is in 20s, is the founder of MFK, which is perhaps one of the largest Messi fans groups across social media platforms in the country. It has 31,000-odd followers on Facebook and 90,000 plus on Instagram. He has been a Messi fan for the past 15 years, “Though we can see him play for Argentina, we feel bad because the only club he played for was Barcelona. He has created and broken records, everything that a player can do in La Liga (Spanish League) he has done while with Barca. He would have felt so bad leaving the only club he has known. It is very hard to accept,” Musharraf says.
Football for life
Standard XII student Rifa Nasar from Kondotty, Malappuram, also hasn’t come to terms with the move. “I haven’t been able to do anything. The news was confirmed on August 8. The entire night our WhatsApp group was buzzing. Imagine how sad Messi would have felt when he had to leave! That broke our hearts: it is very hard to accept!” she says. Like Irin, she is a committed football fan, who watches all league matches. She hasn’t been able to concentrate on her studies since the news broke and has literally lost sleep over it.
Rifa Nasar
Messi may have moved, but Kerala fans’ loyalties lie with Barca. “There’s no two ways about it. We will watch Messi’s games for PSG. Barcelona is an emotion, I don't think any fan would change because of the move,” Irin says. Her devotion to football dictates her choice of career: she wants to be a sports physiotherapist. “Not any sport, only football. I wanted to do my Master’s abroad and then join a football club as a physio.” She used to play football with her older brother and friends in the neighbourhood.
Messi at No. 10
“Number 10 is iconic and it is synonymous with Messi, no, I am not getting myself a PSG jersey!” says Irin . Messi wears the number 30 jersey for PSG, not his number 10 for Barcelona. Neymar, who also plays for the same club is number 10. He is said to have offered it to Messi who refused. Irin has five jerseys each of Barca, Argentina and Kerala Blasters.
Rifa cannot imagine another player in Barcelona’s number 10. “There cannot be another number 10, it will never be the same,” she says. Spanish league rules dictate that numbers from one-25 have to be allotted.
Adhil Nizar
Adhil Nizar, a 16-year-old standard XII student and avid footballer from Kochi, has been a fan since he was 9.He was first a Messi fan which led him to follow Barcelona and Argentina. “I agree that we identify number 10 as Messi for Barcelona. But he joined Barcelona as number 30 and then was 19 before taking 10. So number 30 also has its significance,” he says. He will not shift his loyalties to PSG but will remain true to Messi: “At least he isn’t retiring. We can continue to watch him play!” He confesses that almost a week later, he still feels bad about his idol’s move to the French club. “Watching him in tears was heartbreaking to see!”
So would he give up the Barcelona Messi jersey for PSG 30? “I am not giving it up, but I might pick up a PSG jersey. Why not? I am still his fan,” he says.
Musharraf however has come to terms with the move, “Messi conquered the world. He has no more challenges to overcome in La Liga, whereas there is a lot that he can achieve in the French League. May he create more records at PSG and show the world what a great player he is, yet again.”
