Lionel Messi fans in Kolkata celebrate Argentina maestro's 37th birthday with 80-pound cake

Lionel Messi (Pic: AFP)

Lionel Messi birthday: Lionel Messi fans in Kolkata celebrated the Argentinian maestro's 37th birthday with a cake that resembled a football pitch.

The members of the Argentina Football Fan Club at Ganguly Bagan in South Kolkata cut an 80-pound cake of 4.5 feet in length and three feet in width.

Pragnan Saha, a member of the Argentina Football Fan Club talked about the special cake on the occasion of Messi's 37th birthday and told ANI, "It took around a week to be made. We have one special guy who is making it for us every single year. The colour is dedicated to Argentina and Lionel Messi. Everything here is dedicated to Argentina. We have celebrated Maradona and Messi's birthday and we will continue to do so."

While talking about his and the entire club's love for Messi and Argentian he added, "We have come together to celebrate Lionel Messi's birthday once again. This year it is obviously different because Copa America is going on and we are really looking forward to that as well. We are paying tribute to the man, the myth and the legend once again."

Founder secretary of the Kolkata Argentina Football Fan Club, Uttam Saha opened up about his love for the Argentinian sensation and said, "My heart longs to see Messi again and again. We are always looking on TV when they will show Messi during the match. We want to see Messi lift the Copa America trophy again."

The Argentinean began his career with FC Barcelona's U14 squad. He moved up the ranks fast, leaving an impression on everyone with his extraordinary talent and skills. He made his club debut as a senior at the age of 17 against Espanyol, and the Blaugranas (another name for FC Barcelona) relied heavily on him. The 37-year-old became the team's youngest star to appear in the competition at the time.

Messi played for Barcelona for 17 years, during which time he won 10 La Liga titles, 4 Champions League crowns, and 7 Copa del Rey medals. He has scored an astounding 474 goals in La Liga, making him the league's all-time top scorer.

Also Read: Messi eyes continental glory

In 2009, Messi won his maiden UEFA Champions League title. Barcelona defeated Manchester United in the final with a scoreline of 2-0. In the final, the Argentina national football team skipper scored a goal in this match through a header.

In a 3-0 victory for Barcelona over Real Valladolid in 2020, Lionel Messi scored his 644th goal. Messi broke the record for most goals scored for a single club by doing this. Pele, a legendary Brazilian who scored 643 goals for Santos FC, owned the previous record.

In the 2021 Copa America final, Argentina defeated Brazil 1-0 while playing at the Maracana Stadium. With this win, Messi's lengthy quest for his first significant international championship came to a conclusion.

The FIFA World Cup trophy that Lionel Messi won in Qatar in 2022 was the highlight of his career. In the championship match, Messi scored twice against France. After a 36-year break, Argentina became the world champions via penalty shootout.

(With agency inputs)