Yadil M. Iqbal, a devoted fan of Lionel Messi from Kerala, India, began a 32-hour journey from Bengaluru to Buenos Aires. His goal is to attend the Argentine star's farewell match, which will take place on October 6th.
Yadil does not possess either a ticket to the game or an Argentine visa, relying instead on his American visa for entry into the country. Messi, who is currently 39 years old, announced his retirement from international football last month. He will play his final match for the national team in a friendly against Benin at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires on October 6th, where the three-time world champions will meet.
Yadil, who previously collaborated with an artist to create Messi murals in his hometown of Kodungallur, now hopes for luck to secure a ticket. However, according to reports in Argentine media, tickets for the match at the Monumental Stadium, which has a capacity of 85,000 people, were sold out in less than an hour.
Despite this, Yadil's spirit remains undimmed; he had previously visited Miami to see Messi play for Inter Miami in the MLS. Now, despite the uncertainty surrounding tickets, Yadil remains optimistic, awaiting a connecting flight from London to New York.
"I have already flown 11 hours from Bengaluru to London. Now I need to fly to New York. From there, I have another flight to Buenos Aires. This will take me 32 hours," Yadil told Khaleej Times. Before leaving Bengaluru, Yadil posted a video on Instagram from the airport, expressing nervous excitement in anticipation of his idol's 'final dance.'
He noted: "I don't have tickets for the match. I have almost a 32-hour flight, so the travel will take two days. Once I arrive, I don't know if I will be able to get into the stadium." He also spoke about the difficulties in buying tickets: "I asked at home about tickets for the match, and they cost around 100,000 rupees. And there is a chance that the tickets might be completely fake, so I could lose this money without getting anything. Therefore, I will have to see if I can get a ticket when I arrive there."
Yadil admitted that the chances of getting a ticket are very slim, but he decided to take the risk anyway. "I know it requires both incredible luck and great effort. If I manage to see this moment right from the stadium—the final moment—I feel it will be a truly unforgettable Indian moment," he stated. He added: "Let's all pray. The chances are still very low, but for someone willing to take such a risk, I hope I can see it."
In June of last year, Yadil, who followed all seven matches of Argentina at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar when the South American giants won, was moved by Messi's message on Instagram, where he congratulated the Argentine legend on his 39th birthday. Messi's message, "Thank you, Yadil," brought him to tears, as did meeting Argentina's head coach Lionel Scaloni at an event in Dubai last year.
Yadil, who owns a restaurant in Kerala, highly praised the coach's work: "Scaloni is a coach who built this Argentine team that won the World Cup, so I am very grateful to him. Scaloni deserves huge recognition because he created a system that unlocked Messi's full potential. He ensured that Messi could demonstrate these outstanding performances in Qatar."
He continued: "You know, Messi is a player who appears once in a hundred years, and Scaloni ensured that Argentina finally got the best from him on the biggest stage. That's why I cried after Messi's message, just like when I met Scaloni. Messi and Argentina control my heartbeat. I live for these World Cup moments."
Although obtaining a ticket to Messi's final match may be beyond his control, if he manages to get one, this devoted fan will likely shed happy tears.