Sanjeev Rakshit, 25, has the names of 23 Argentine players on his jersey with Maradona and Messi finding pride of place. The shirt cost the Gangulybagan trader Rs 160, the calligraphy Rs 630. (Anindya Shankar Ray)

Die-hard Argentina supporter Anirban had started watching his team’s march towards the World Cup 2010 crown with father Arup Ghosh, a devotee of Diego Maradona, by his side. But as their team goes into do-or-die matches in South Africa, Anirban must watch alone.

For Arup Ghosh, 72, died on June 20, leaving his son to cheer on Argentina from their Gangulybagan home.

“Argentina’s 4-1 drubbing of South Korea had made my father very hopeful that Maradona, who was like god to him, would win the World Cup as manager as well. His dream may yet come true, but he will not be able to see it happen,” said Anirban, 30, who works with a private firm.

Other Maradona-Messi fans of Baisakhi Club — divided down the middle between Argentina and Brazil loyalists — rallied around Anirban after their team’s 3-1 victory over Mexico in Sunday night’s match.

The mood in the south Calcutta para changed as some local Brazil supporters passed through. Raju Karmakar, 30, from the Argentina ranks, drew first blood: “Chile will smear you with chilli paste tonight.”

The repartee from the Brazil ranks was swift and brutal: “You’ve won your last game in this World Cup. Germany will hammer you, even if Maradona uses his hand of god.”

It hit the boys in blue and white where it hurt because there was no missing the fear in this Argentina camp — miles away from Johannesburg, where Maradona and his men are now camping — about the Thomas Muellers and Mesut Ozils. “Germany are playing as a team and also scoring freely. The way they demolished England was scary for us. What speed, what precision! But if we beat them, there is no way we lose to Uruguay or Ghana in the semis,” mused Raju, who is living in his jersey this week to bring his team luck.

The gang at Gangulybagan could not stop talking about the match against Mexico, the evening after. And the man of the moment? For once, not Maradona or Messi, but Carlos Tevez.

“What a goal,” they gushed about his unstoppable pile-driver from 25 yards out.

What about his first goal, when Tevez was clearly off-side? “Orom hoyei thake khelaye (That’s all in the game),” pat came the reply from the Argentina-can-do-no-wrong crowd.

The other talking point was Gonzalo Higuaín’s shooting boots. Will he win the Golden Boot or will Lukas Podolski or David Villa, they wonder.

For many in this crowd of fanatical football fans, 1986 was their coming-of-age Cup. “Most of us were weaned on the legend of Pele and had started out supporting Brazil. But Maradona changed all that, forever, with his left foot (no mention of his left fist, here),” said a 32-year-old.

Nowhere is the Brazil-Argentina split showing wider than in a Ganguly home of Gangulybagan — father Pintu Ganguly is a firm Argentina supporter but his 12-year-old son Soumantrik has switched allegiance to the rival camp. “I really want to cheer for Chile against Brazil because I want them out of the Cup, but my son, a Kaka fan, would feel very bad. So, I am hoping he won’t stay up for the match as he has to leave for school at 6am,” Pintu said with a wink.

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