FIFA World Cup fever grips India as giant cut-out of Argentina superstar Lionel Messi emerges in Kerala

A giant cut-out of Argentina superstar Lionel Messi has been installed in the middle of a river in Kerala ahead of the upcoming FIFA World Cup, as per Indian Express.

Lionel Messi, 35, will spearhead Argentina’s attack as they look to lift their third FIFA World Cup in Qatar this year. La Albiceleste, who are on a 35-game unbeaten run at the moment, will kick off their campaign with a clash against Saudi Arabia on November 22.

Less than three weeks from Argentina’s first game, a group of Messi aficionados from Kerala, India, have chosen a rather extravagant way to show their support. They have installed a mammoth 30-foot cut-out of the Argentine skipper in the middle of the Kurungattu Kadavu river at Pullavoor in Kozhikode. The cut-out features Messi in his iconic Argentina No. 10 jersey.

A video has come to light of the said die-hard fans carrying the giant cut-out through the village. The clip, first posted by Twitter user Rizwan, has since gone viral on social media, with many fellow Lionel Messi fans thanking the organizers for the initiative.

According to local news outlet Onmanorama, the cut-out was installed by the 'Argentina Fans Association' of Pullavoor. Ashik Ahamed, a member of the association, has revealed why they chose to install the cut-out.

He told Onmanorama:

“We wanted to mark the occasion with something special and who else other than Messi deserves it more.”

Messi has been in stunning form for the 1978 and 1986 FIFA World Cup winners lately, scoring a whopping nine times in his last three appearances.

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Lionel Messi claims an assist in PSG’s win over Juventus

Lionel Messi started the game as Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) took on Juventus in their final Group H game on Wednesday night (November 2). The Argentine was not at his best, but he still managed to make a tangible impact, setting up Kylian Mbappe’s opener in a 2-1 victory.

His pass to the Frenchman in the 13th minute was perfectly-weighted, which helped Mbappe take it in his stride, cut in, and finish. With the assist, Messi has taken his goal-contribution tally to 26 for the season (12 goals, 14 assists), playing a mere 18 matches across competitions.

Argentina will hope that their skipper manages to carry the same vein of form to the FIFA World Cup later this month.