Kolkata’s passionate football fans welcomed Emiliano Martinez, the World Cup winning goalkeeper of Argentina, who came calling at Mohun Bagan, the oldest football club of the continent. Some 5,000 odd members and ardent fans gathered to witness their favourite ‘Dibu’ who had helped Argentina lift the World Cup for the third time a little over six months ago in Qatar.
Martinez was visibly elated at the overwhelming reception, spreading his arms in acknowledgement before saying “I love you Kolkata.”
Reflecting the confidence and the self-belief that saw him stop France from defending its title at the Lusail Stadium, Martinez said that, “we have a group of tigers in the team and are going to win it again”.
His assurance came in the form of a repartee when he was asked by the presenter about the possibility of playing without (Lionel) Messi in the next World Cup. There was a thunderous applause as Martinez sensed the pulse of the crowd, more than half of which was draped in Argentina jerseys with ‘Messi 10’ written at the back.
Bagan, which has previously hosted football luminaries like Pele and Diego Maradona, presented the club colours to Martinez. The towering goalkeeper accepted the offering with a smile and immediately put on the green-and-maroon jersey before taking a tour around the ground as the stadium filled up with chants of ‘Dibu, Dibu’.
The star goalkeeper reciprocated the enthusiasm of his hosts despite being put to a grueling schedule through the day. The Argentine also had to be rescued by the police once after his car was mobbed by eager supporters resulting in damage to the vehicle, after a function organised in another part of the city. He chose to return to his hotel in a police jeep.
