The Argentina Football Fan Club from south Kolkata’s Baghajatin left nothing to chance as Lionel Messi took the field in the first match of his team at the Fifa World Cup 2026 against Algeria in faraway Kansas City on Wednesday morning India time.
“Abiding by the Hindu rituals we performed a puja at the Kalighat Kali Temple and a yagna at the Arunachal Club,” club member Subhashish Paul said.
He said they saw their idol score two goals of his hat-trick just as the yagna was completed.
The Arunachal Club hosted the inaugural match of the reigning world champions with a giant screen, lots of fan cheer, a life-size cutout of Messi cutout and the aforementioned yagna.
It was organised by the Argentina Football Fan Club, spearheaded by Uttam Saha.
Shyamal Chakraborty, almost 80, was at the Arunachal Club ground from 6am with his grandson for the match that began at 6.30am.
“I have seen the king [Diego Maradona] play and win the 1986 World Cup. I have also seen the god win it in 2022 at Qatar. I would not miss an Argentina match for the world,” Chakraborty said.
People of all ages, from young couples to kids to the elderly, attended the match screening with gusto.
Blue and white have been Kolkata’s favourite colours – along with Brazil’s yellow, of course. long before the now former government decided to paint the city in those colours.
Kolkata has always been crazy about the Argentina football team. Maradona’s visits in 2008 and 2017 and the latest visit of Lionel Messi last year that turned out to be a royal mess, have only augmented the craze.
On Wednesday morning, their god was apparently pleased – and gave them his first World Cup hat-trick as a gift.
