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PM Modi’s statement proves Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi’s popularity in India
On the sidelines of the G20 summit in Argentina, PM Modi met with FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
From Diego Maradono to Lionel Messi to Paulo Dybala —Argentina have been always known to produce some of the best footballers in the world and because of these superstars, they enjoy a huge following not just in their own country but worldwide.
The aforementioned statement has been reaffirmed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is Argentina for the Global G20 summit.
On the sidelines of the summit, PM Modi met with FIFA President Gianni Infantino and he tweeted: “Impossible to come to Argentina and not think about football. Argentinian players are tremendously popular in India. Today, received this jersey from @FIFAcom President Gianni Infantino. I thank him for the kind gesture.”
Argentina became one of the first top footballing nations in the world to play in front of the Indian crowd, when they took on Venezuela in a friendly tie in Kolkata in 2011. Messi enthralled the Indian fans as he provided a great assist to defender Nicolas Otamendi, whose goal was the difference between the two sides at the Salt Lake stadium.
Meanwhile, Maradona was in India last year where he featured along side legendary India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly in a charity match in front of the football-crazy fans of Kolkata.
