Messi: The boy who made me switch from Brazil to Argentina

I wasn't always an Argentina fan. Like countless children growing up in the late nineties and early 2000 I too was a supporter of Brazil back in the day.

Argentina meant rivalry. If anyone had told me then that in a few years I would be rooting for the Albiceleste, I would have laughed at them and at the ridiculousness of the thought.

One thing you have to understand about people’s obsession with Brazil and Argentina football teams here in Bangladesh is that it's often a family tradition to support the same team for generations.

I too was introduced to the team of Brazil and their glorious history by my father and uncles who were avid fans of the yellow jersey. It had the glamour, the flair and it was the obvious choice.

During the 2002 World Cup, we had a Brazil flag flying high in our yard and I was bought Brazil fan T-shirts and shorts. So to me Brazil was the last word in football.

Although I don't have much memory of the 2002 World Cup but I do remember shouting my lungs out for the Selecao. I learnt names like Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and stories of their brilliance.

All the children of my age then were pretending to be Ronaldo Nazario and his weird haircut was a big hit. Without knowing anything about football we kids would fight among ourselves to prove the superiority of Brazil and Argentina over one another.

That's how everything was going. I supported Brazil in the 2006 World Cup but their campaign that time ended in the quarter final. And we were so disappointed at Kaka that time.

Then the 2010 World Cup approached and I had just started my teen years. One day I learnt this name Lionel Messi and laughed saying it sounded like messy. After that I kept hearing his name everywhere and started seeing columns about him in the sports pages of the newspaper.

They were writing about the Argentina team coached by all-time great Diego Maradona and that starred this genius who was dubbed the new Maradona. They said the team has great potential and the boy caught my attention.

At the time everyone at school was embroiled in the Messi-Ronaldo debate and I had to choose a side. I chose the small, shy boy with no flashy presence. I started looking at the fixtures and was noting down the timings of Argentina matches just to see him play.

I don't remember the exact match I first saw him play, what I remember is the feeling. Here was a player unlike anyone. He wasn't the tallest, strongest or loudest player on the pitch. He didn't seem interested in performing for the cameras. Yet every time he touched the ball, it felt something extraordinary was possible.

I started learning about him, his career, his life, his club Barcelona and names of his teammates like De Maria, Higuain, Aguero or Tevez. I started watching his games and found myself rooting for him every time he touched the ball.

I was curious about him, and the curiosity soon gave way to admiration. I watched him play all the matches of Argentina in 2010 World Cup. Unfortunately, Messi didn't score any goal and Argentina was knocked out by Germany in the quarter-final where the score line was 4-0.

After that criticism flooded in. People said Messi isn't Argentine enough, doesn't play half as good for the national team as he plays for his club, not as great as Maradona and so on. Somehow, all the criticism felt personal and it made me support him even more.

Next thing I knew, I was following Barcelona, the club Messi played for. I started keeping tabs on their matches in the LaLiga and how many goals Messi scored. In the next four years I became a Barcelona supporter and a diehard fan of Messi.

I remember how competitive the Spanish League was back then. Losing even a single match meant losing the top position. Moreover, the nail-biting El Clasicos between Barcelona and Real Madrid went right on the nerve. 

The magic Messi created on the pitch in those years were unimaginable. He even scored record 91 goals in a single calendar year, more than the goals scored by many teams altogether. He was just mind-boggling.

Then came 2014 World Cup, and I finally switched from my old love Brazil to Argentina. Because, by then, I was completely smitten by Messi and supporting Messi meant supporting Argentina. I went all-in for the Albiceleste.

Messi played spectacularly leading his team's offence and won the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament. And, Argentina was playing the final against Germany. I was elated beyond imagination.

But, then came my biggest heartbreak in football in the shape of Germany's Mario Gotze scoring a goal in the extra time.  Germany lifted the cup crushing millions of Argentina fans' dreams.

We all saw a devastated Messi walking past the World Cup Trophy on his way to receive his Golden Ball award. After that bad luck seemed to be never ending for Argentina team and Messi.

They lost back to back Copa America finals against Chile in 2015 and 2016, both in penalty shootouts. And, right after losing the final in 2016 came the shocking announcement of Messi retiring from international football as he was completely heartbroken. 

I remember seeing him break down in tears that day and later hearing him say in a devastated voice, “I’m done, the national team is over for me.” Although he reversed his decision, the 2018 edition of the World Cup came with more frustration as Argentina was eliminated by France in the round of 16.

The hardest thing about becoming an Argentina supporter during the Messi era is that it meant mostly heartbreaks. There was the endless criticism against Messi from those who believed he had not done enough for his country. Every tournament seemed to end with the same question: Would he ever win a major trophy with Argentina?

For me as a fan, those years deepened the connection. Supporting a team during success is easy. Supporting them through disappointment is what turned admiration into loyalty.

As Argentina kept falling short, I found myself caring more, not less. Every loss felt personal. Every criticism of Messi felt unfair. Although it seemed like hoping against hope, I wanted the story to have a different ending.

Then came the 2022 World Cup.

Even after four years, it is difficult to describe what that tournament felt like. It was more than football. It was the collection of years of hope, frustration and belief. When Argentina finally lifted the trophy, the celebration was not only about winning a World Cup. It was about seeing their journey come a full circle.

For Messi, it was redemption. For us fans, it was relief. We had nothing else to ask from the Argentine team and from Messi, who had finally touched the one object he probably desired the most in the world. The story just felt complete.

Looking back, I now realise that my transition from being introduced to World Cup as a Brazil supporter to gradually becoming emotionally invested in the Argentina team after being mesmerised by this one magical player wasn't really about changing teams. It was about following a story. Messi's story.

I was drawn in by Messi's talent, but stayed because of his endurance and somehow connected with his journey. However, when I see Argentina's sky-blue and white jersey today, I no longer think of a team I adopted because of just one player. Rather, it reminds me of those years of memories, late-night matches, celebrations and definitely the heartbreaks.

I began as a Brazil supporter because of football's history. But, I became an Argentina supporter because of a single person's story. And somewhere between the defeats and the triumphs, Lionel Messi changed the way I experienced the game forever.