The reach I get through my videos helped me get Messi's attention: Yadil

Yadil M Iqbal's admiration for Lionel Messi began during the footballer's Barcelona days, when, as he puts it, “he was selflessly passing to Suárez and Neymar”. Years later, that admiration has come full circle, with Messi himself acknowledging the diehard fan from Kodungallur in Kerala.On Thursday morning, Yadil woke up to a phone call informing him that Messi had responded to one of his social media posts. At first, he couldn't even find the comment. “Even now, I can't believe this has happened,” he gushes.From jinx to joyYadil desperately wanted Messi to win an international trophy. He recalls,“Before the 2021 Copa América final, people around me teased me, saying Brazil would win. They even said they would come to my mandi shop wearing Brazil jerseys after the match.

That's when I made a video saying I would serve mandi for free if Argentina won. I also promised to paint a mural of Messi because I had seen the mural culture celebrating football legends abroad.

That video went viral.”When Argentina won the Copa América, Yadil kept his promise. “I painted the mural and later travelled abroad for the first time to watch Messi during the Qatar World Cup and made another video. Argentina lost their opening match.

People called me a jinx, blaming me for the loss. But I was also among the few fans who witnessed Messi lift the World Cup in person. How many fans can say that?” he asks. The impossible fan dreamEverything Yadil has done over the years, he says, has had one goal. “My only intention was for Messi to know he had a fan like me in Kodungallur. After the World Cup, I even installed a statue of him holding the trophy next to the mural,” he says.He has also tried, unsuccessfully, to meet his idol. He has also tried, unsuccessfully, to meet his idol. "I even travelled to Inter Miami. I saw the stadium, visited the locker room and bought a jersey, but meeting Messi was impossible," he shares.

The wait endsHis latest attempt was a birthday video addressed to Messi in Spanish, showcasing the mural and statue. “I made the video hoping Messi would see it. Nothing happened that night.

I was disappointed because it felt like the distance between us was impossible to bridge,” he recalls.Everything changed the next morning. “The reach I get through these videos is what has helped me get Messi's attention. Some people think it's all for attention, but how else could I make my dream come true? Social media is the only way someone like me could reach him,” he says.When he finally saw Messi's comment, the years of devotion felt worthwhile. "Seeing my name there was the most rewarding feeling. It probably took him just a fraction of a second to type 'Gracias, Yadil', but it changed my life.