DHAKA: As they woke up to observe the second of Islam’s most important holidays, Bangladeshi football fans saw a photo of Argentinian captain Lionel Messi, midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, and forward Angel Di Maria with the words: “Eid Mubarak to all our friends in Bangladesh.”
Posted on the official Twitter account of the Argentinian national football team on Eid Al-Adha, the wishes from the Argentine Football Association immediately went viral and drew gratitude from Bangladeshis, whose love for La Albiceleste had a special display during the FIFA World Cup in Qatar last year.
With the outpouring of Bangladeshi support for Messi’s team becoming an international sensation and leading to the reopening of the Argentinian Embassy in Dhaka in February, it came as no surprise that the Eid wishes from La Albiceleste represented a special gesture not just for football fans, but for all.
Eid Al-Adha wishes for Bangladeshis posted by the Argentinian national football team on its official Twitter account on June 28. (Supplied)
“It’s a matter of great recognition and respect for us. Since we have a special place in our hearts for Latin American football, now they reciprocated this love through Eid greetings,” Mohammed Aslam, former captain of the Bangladesh national football team, told Arab News.
“It’s a great moment for our football fans as well as the people of Bangladesh.”
For Rebeka Sultana Merry, a college teacher in Jamalpur, the fact that Argentinians remembered Bangladeshis on their religious holiday was also something to cherish as it showed that the affection was mutual.
“During the Qatar World Cup, our football fans showed their utmost love for the Argentina team, and now the whole world knows that after Argentina, Bangladesh is their second largest fan base,” she said.
“It’s a matter of great joy that the Argentine Football Association remembered us on this auspicious occasion of Eid Al-Adha. We feel proud of that. This sort of exchange of greetings will further strengthen the ties.”
When Argentina played the 2022 World Cup matches, hundreds of thousands of fans in the Muslim-majority South Asian country gathered in the team’s sky blue and white jerseys to watch matches on giant screens at key squares, roads and football grounds.
But Bangladeshi love for Argentine football is not new. It dates back to the 1986 World Cup in Mexico when Argentina won the tournament with a historic performance of its then-captain, Diego Maradona.
It was Maradona, the player widely regarded as one of the greatest in the history of the sport, who turned cricket-mad Bangladeshis into Argentine football fans.
“He was above everyone. He won the hearts of our football fans and became a popular name in every household across our country,” said Aslam who captained Bangladesh’s team in the 1980s.
“Maradona proved that football is art. After the World Cup of 1986, our football fans hung his posters in their living rooms. He was an icon.”
For decades, no other football player has charmed Bangladeshis like Maradona, until Messi came to the stage.
“I grew up watching the magical football skills of Messi. For Maradona and Messi, I will love Argentina forever,” said Shahriar Sourov, a 15-year-old fan and aspiring football player from Dhaka.
“On Eid day, it was a big surprise for me to see my football hero Messi greeting us. It was exciting as team Messi remembered us. It seems that the bond between the football fans from two different parts of the world will remain forever. It’s a kind of brotherhood.”
