A young Kerala fan received a direct reply in Spanish from Lionel Messi for his special birthday wish to his idol and it caught the attention of the Indian viewers. Yadil M Iqbal, an ardent admirer of Lionel Messi hailing from Kodungallur was the fan who was gifted with a priceless moment. This online interaction was unexpected by the fans as Lionel Messi is celebrated worldwide by almost all football fans and for the Argentinian to notice one of the fans would be difficult. In an interesting turn of events, Lionel Messi acknowledged the love he received from Yadil and he replied with a “Gracias Yadil!”.
The special online interaction took place right after Iqbal uploaded a deeply heartfelt video tribute celebrating Lionel Messi’s 39th birthday on June 24th. The fan was standing in front of a beautiful mural in his hometown dedicated to the Argentinian and he wished the icon in fluent Spanish with a deep message. In the video, he explained how he designed the murals over the years, after their historic Copa America triumph. Later, Argentina won the 2022 FIFA World Cup and he designed a statue for Lionel Messi, in the hope that he would be recognized one day by Messi.
The Spanish birthday message that caught Messi's attention
Lionel Messi is one of the most celebrated footballers in the world and it is quite obvious that he would be flooded with wishes on his birthday. However, the Argentinian somehow noticed the work of Yadil and it was a special moment for the Keralite. The legendary footballer not only viewed and liked the video but took a moment to leave a direct comment reading, “Gracias Yadil!” (Thank you, Yadil). This acknowledgement from Lionel Messi increased the reach of the video as it went viral in no time. Kerala has a massive fanbase for Argentina and the fans couldn’t keep their calm. Yadil’s birthday wish reel propelled it to over 15 million views in absolutely no time.
The comment section immediately turned into a celebratory space for football enthusiasts, particularly Malayali fans who expressed immense pride in seeing one of their own recognized on a global platform. Many internet users have commented their pride in the achievement as it would be one of the very few times that an icon has recognized a fan from the state. For a region that celebrates every FIFA World Cup like its own, this moment would have elated their feelings. In Kerala, the football fans spend lakhs of rupees to raise giant cut-outs and posters to show their love for the greats of the game like Lionel Messi.
The recognition from Lionel Messi would be a massive moment for Yadil and the Keralites as their love that has lasted for decades has finally reached their idol. Lionel Messi would have found it amusing to see so much love from a place that is almost unfamiliar to him.
