Will Messi fail the Kerala maths teacher who cycled to Russia to meet him?

Argentina’s horrible run at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, first a 1-1 draw against tournament debutants Iceland and then a 3-0 defeat at the end of a 96-minute Croatian masterclass, has broken the hearts of La Albiceleste fans around the world. But very few’s disappointment at the lacklustre performance of the team and its talismanic captain will rival that of Clifin Francis, a part-time maths teacher from Kerala, who has cycled all the way to Russia just to see his hero Lionel Messi.

A BBC report detailed how Francis flew down to Dubai, bought a $700 bicycle, caught a ferry to Iran and rode through the Persian countryside and Azerbaijan into the Dagestan area of Russia. His original plan was to ride through Georgia and he had valid documents for the same but was refused entry. He spent a night in the no man’d land between Azerbaijan and Georgia before being granted a re-entry visa into Azerbaijan and rerouting his ride through Dagestan.

Francis said football and the popularity of Bollywood helped him in breaking ice with the Iranian people. The BBC quoted him saying, "My perception about Iran has changed. I realised that you shouldn't form an opinion about a country based on its geopolitics."

Till June 21, Francis was 460 km away from Moscow. He has to reach by June 26 as he only could manage tickets for the Denmark vs France match that’s scheduled for the day.

Ironically, the Albicelestes next play Nigeria on the very same day at Saint Petersburg, quite a distance from Moscow. Even if they win, a draw between Croatia and Iceland and a victory for Iceland over Nigeria would see Argentina crashing out of the cup.

In that case, Messi would fly back to Buenos Aires from Saint Petersburg and Francis would have to get back to India without having seen ‘La Pulga’ Lionel Messi.