Argentine football legend Lionel Messi has found support from an unlikely source as he leads his side in the World Cup.
Thousands of kilometres away, in southern India’s Kerala state, fans have built a mock stadium, complete with life-size cutouts of the Argentina squad on the "pitch", on a makeshift boat to celebrate Messi and his team-mates' exploits.
The floating ode, on a muddy river near the village of Pullavoor, reflects the love for the game here and, for the locals, there is one man to thank for their devotion.
“Messi is life and there is no doubt that there will never be anyone like him,” said Nousheer Nellikkode, an Argentina fan from Kerala and former Dubai resident.
“We enjoyed life by watching Messi’s magical games. I see it as a blessing that he entertained us for 20 years. Thank you Leo. This is to show our undying love for Messi and football.”
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Argentina fans in Kerala worked for more than a week to build an iron and plywood floating platform of the World Cup squad. All Photos: Honda Boys Pullavoor -
The tableau features life-size cutouts of the whole Argentina World Cup squad -
Football-crazy fans in the southern Indian state built the platform to show their love for the game -
A giant poster of Cristiano Ronaldo near the floating platform -
Cut-outs larger than coconut trees have been built by fans to show their love for stars such as Lionel Messi -
Football-mad Kerala fans in southern India created the tribute to thank Messi for 'magical' World Cup games -
Nousheer Nellikkode, a former Dubai resident, built the floating platform -
Hundreds of fans gather each day from surrounding cities and villages to see the floating tableau -
Argentina fans have set up a big screen on the floating platform that shows highlights of World Cup games
The river is also lined with enormous posters of Messi and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, which are as tall as nearby coconut trees. Thousands have gathered since the start of the World Cup to take photos of the floating display and the giant posters.
World Cup festivities
It took more than a week for Argentina fans in Pullavoor to build a catamaran by securely tying up 40 barrels. A TV screen was added to the floating platform so villagers could watch highlights of World Cup games.
“Our village has football-loving people and we like to promote sports,” said Mr Nellikkode who runs a sports store and coffee shop to which he has added a viewing space for 200 people to watch the games.
“We built the boat so the next generation will appreciate the whole Argentina team, watch the games with us, understand the Latin America style of play, celebrate Messi and realise there will be life after Messi in the next World Cup.”
It was a race to create an eye-catching exhibit that would top the large posters erected by rival fan groups that support Portugal and Brazil.
“We do this also for tournaments like Copa America but it was during the last World Cup in Qatar that the world came to know about our giant posters,” Mr Nellikkode said. “It’s just our way to show our love for the game.”
In cricket-mad India, football has a special place, experts say.
“India is extremely football friendly, people enjoy watching the game and also playing in Kerala, the north East, in Bengal and in Goa,” said author Sandeep Menon, who wrote ‘Sacred Grounds – a Journey through people’s football in India’.
“It becomes an over-the-top craze during the World Cup with watch parties all over the country. But here in Kerala there is more romance about the game. There is a resonance here of every man becoming a superstar in football.”
He said Argentina, Brazil and Portugal had large fan bases, with people even naming their children after football greats.
“There is love and affection for the players and so the World Cup becomes a big celebration,” he said.
“There is competition between different fan groups but it’s also a coming together. There are cultural programmes, dance competitions held before the games start. This keeps the crowd entertained and is a fun part of the fanatic fandom.”
