FIFA World Cup 2022: Lionel Messi vs Neymar - cut-out rivalry on river grips Kerala fans
Football fans from the small village of Pullavoor installed towering cut-outs of Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr in the Kurungattu Kadavu river in Kozhikode district.
Ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, the southern Indian state of Kerala is already abuzz with football fever.
Fans from a small village of Pullavoor in the Kozhikode district have put up towering cut-outs of Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Brazil’s Neymar Jr in the Kurungattu Kadavu river showing their love for their favourite football players.
A 30-foot-tall cut-out of Messi dressed in a white and sky blue jersey was initially erected by the ‘Argentina Fans Association of Pullavoor’ in the river.
“We wanted to mark the occasion with something special and who else other than Messi deserves it more,” Ashik Ahamed, a member of the fans association, told Manorama Online.
However, to match the love of Argentine fans for their No. 10, Brazilian fans from the village spurred into action and installed a taller 40-feet cut-out of Neymar right beside the 30-feet cut-out of Messi.
Notably, both Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr share camaraderie and play for the top-tier French club Paris Saint Germain (PSG). They also played together for Barcelona in La Liga previously.
While Neymar, 30, will be playing in his third FIFA World Cup for the five-time champions Brazil, 35-year-old Messi, who guided two-time champions Argentina to the finals in 2014, will feature in his fifth and final World Cup.
The FIFA World Cup 2022, a 32-team tournament, will kick off on November 20 with Qatar taking on Ecuador in Group A. The final will be played on December 18.