Messi Retirement: Kolkata Isn’t Ready To Say ‘GOATBye’ To The Argentine Legend

There have been good days, there have been bad days, and then there was that one ugly day which Kolkata would perhaps like to forget. Through it all, Lionel Messi has somehow remained close to the city's footballing heart.

Now, less than 24 hours after the Argentine superstar announced his international retirement, there is a sense of something slipping away in Kolkata.

Messi was never just another superstar who came, played and left. Not in a city that has always embraced football and its larger-than-life heroes with an intensity of its own.

And it has been exactly 15 years since he first walked into Salt Lake Stadium on a September 2 evening. What began with 90 minutes of magic grew into deep devotion, survived years of distance and, finally, turned ugly last year.

Before Messi, there was Diego Maradona. Before Maradona, there was Pele, who played for New York Cosmos in Kolkata in 1977.

But Messi created a frenzy of his own.

From 53-year-old Biplab Poddar, the assistant referee who stood on the Salt Lake Stadium pitch when Messi debuted as captain in 2011, to young fan Soumindra Ghosh, who left civil engineering to open a Messi-themed cafe and finally met him last year during his second visit, there is a common feeling: Kolkata has simply not seen enough of Messi.

The Good: 90 minutes that Kolkata will never forget

It was a rainy August evening 15 years ago in Guwahati when Biplab Poddar received what he still describes as the best letter of his life.

The All India Football Federation appointed him assistant referee for the Argentina-Venezuela friendly at Salt Lake Stadium.

For Poddar, who began refereeing in 1998, it was his first international match, with Messi, Javier Mascherano, Angel Di Maria and Sergio Aguero.

"It was like getting a golden ball," Poddar told PTI.

"My phone kept buzzing. People in my neighbourhood started garlanding me and kept sending requests to get autographs and what not. I couldn't believe those three-four days of my life," he said.

Poddar was star-struck. Match commissioner Col Gautam Kar reminded them they had a job to do.

"Don't get star-struck. At the end of the day, you're the referee. They may be Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria, but you're the boss on the ground. Act as you act in other domestic matches," Poddar recalled.

The big moment came on September 2.

"I was nervous for the first four-five minutes when Messi came for the toss, wearing the captain's armband for Argentina for the first time. But he was humble. He shook hands with us and also posed for photographs. The initial pangs went away gradually."

Poddar has since officiated hundreds of matches and 40-plus international games. None stayed with him like those 90 minutes.

"Life has changed for good for me after that match. Things are no more the same. I've got a lot of recognition and people everywhere know me as someone who officiated that match. I'm so grateful," he said.

"I lived my dream in those 90 minutes. I hope Messi comes back again after his retirement," he said.

The Bad: When Messi became more than a footballer

For Kolkata fans, the "bad" part of Messi's retirement is the feeling that a generation's attachment is ending.

Soumindra Ghosh, owner of the Messi-themed 'Dum Dum Leo Cafe', has spent years turning his admiration for the Argentine into a way of life. He has followed Messi since 2008. His cafe is covered with moments from the superstar's career with matches screened and the menu referencing his heroics.

Ghosh met Messi during last year's "GOAT Tour", presenting him with a portrait and receiving a thumbs-up. Messi also posed for a group photograph at a fan event.

"Even my staff members are more depressed than me. I told them 'Look, this is a part of life. Everything comes to an end,'" Ghosh said.

"I knew this time would come one day. And I've spent many years watching Messi play... being with Messi in sorrow, being with Messi in joy, it was a really good journey. Obviously, it feels bad to see him retired from the Argentina jersey.

"I've thought about recording a video with everyone who visits, plus giving out the 'La Pulga' dish for free to everyone."

For his friend Surojit Saha, the attachment has become permanent.

On retirement day, Saha got a Messi tattoo on his hand.

"He said, 'Messi finished his journey on the pitch, but now Messi will stay with me forever. And this tattoo will go with me to my funeral pyre. As long as my body remains, Messi will remain with me'," Ghosh said.

The Ugly: December 13 that turned sour

But Kolkata's Messi story has a chapter the city would rather forget.

On December 13 last year, Messi returned to Salt Lake Stadium. Anticipation was enormous: a 70-foot statue on VIP Road, celebrity matches, packed stands and Shah Rukh Khan in attendance.

Thousands travelled from Kolkata and across India, many paying up to Rs 14,000 for a glimpse of Messi.

What should have been a once-in-a-lifetime celebration instead became one of the darkest days in Indian sport.

Messi arrived around 11:30 am, accompanied by Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul. But his brief appearance, surrounded by dignitaries and politicians, meant thousands of ticket-holders could barely see him before he left in a hurry over safety concerns.

Anger quickly turned into chaos. Fans broke gates and chairs and threw objects onto the pitch, leaving Salt Lake Stadium resembling a warfield.

For Kolkata, the embarrassment was greater because Messi's other GOAT Tour events in Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi passed off smoothly.

But much water has since flowed past the Hooghly. With Messi's international retirement, an old hope has returned: a prospective Inter Miami pre-season tour in South Asia.

"Who knows Messi will show up one more time. For us Messi fans, it would mean something more. Maybe there is still one more time," another diehard fan, who hails from Icchapur in Kolkata's northern suburb, summed up the mood that "Kolkata is not yet ready to say goodbye."