One of the most loved figures in international football, Lionel Messi sent a gift for the West Bengal chief minister along with the legends of his club Barcelona when they visited the city to take on their counterparts from Mohun Bagan last month.
FC Barcelona legends comprising of names like Javier Saviola and Jose Edmilson, Simao Sabrosa amongst others took on veteran stars from Mohun Bagan as the match ended 6-0 in favour of the Catalan club.
Messi presented a signed Barcelona shirt to Banerjee with the message, “Best Wishes for my friend Didi from Lionel Messi” and sent it along with the legends team that visited the city in September.
The jersey was handed over to Kaushik Moulik the founder of the Football Next Foundation by Barcelona greats Juilano Beletti and Jari Litmanen, both of whom were part of the visiting team.
“They couldn’t hand it over to Ms Banerjee personally, so they gave it to us. We have approached the CMO. Whenever Ms Banerjee agrees to meet us, we will hand it over to her,” Moulik, as quoted by India Today said.
Kolkata, a city also known for its rich football history saw Messi’s visit in the year 2011 when his Argentina side defeated Venezuela 1-0 in an international friendly. Messi assisted Nicholas Otamendi for the winner in front of a packed Salt Lake Stadium.