Memories in midst of Madness: Dipendu, Nabi get jerseys autographed

Kolkata, Dec 13 (PTI) Lionel Messi’s GOAT Tour began amid chaos and vandalism at the Salt Lake Stadium, but for former India players Dipendu Biswas and Syed Rahim Nabi, it still turned into the moment of a lifetime here on Saturday.

Biswas, who represented the Mohun Bagan Messi XI in the exhibition match against the Diamond Harbour Messi XI, was among the few who walked away with memories to cherish forever.

“Messi signed on the left side of my jersey, Suarez on the right, and Rodrigo De Paul in the centre,” Biswas told PTI, still visibly overwhelmed.

“He was all smiles. I was blessed to touch his magical left foot,” Dipendu, who is actually a decade older than Messi, stated.

Biswas, who has previously collected autographed jerseys from Diego Maradona and Pele, said this experience stood apart.

“World champion team captain, such a player with such stature -- it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He kept smiling the entire time he was on the ground.” Reflecting on the ugly scenes that followed, he added: “I’ve played football for so many years. Maradona, Pele, Valderrama came earlier, but never have I seen spectators behave so rudely. I feel Messi should have been taken out in an open jeep, like Maradona was.” For Syed Rahim Nabi, the moment carried deep personal meaning.

“This is the greatest moment of my life, no doubt,” Nabi said. “Messi has wowed fans for so many years and inspired the younger generation. I feel this is a gift for my honest playing days. Honesty is very important in life.” Calling Messi a divine figure in football, Nabi said: “Messi is the all-time great for this and the previous generation. He is like God to everyone.” He, however, admitted the destruction around the event was heartbreaking.

“What happened after the match was very sad. People who had no business there were crowding him. Those guarding him must understand he is once in a generation. He pulls fans from everywhere -- it’s his charisma. If you see football’s God near you, can you really walk away?” Soon after Messi's event was cut short to 22 minutes, mayhem broke out inside the stadium.

What began with angry whistles and shouts quickly escalated into open vandalism as frustrated spectators vented their fury.

Bottles and food packets were hurled towards the VIP stand, followed by fibre bucket seats being ripped out and flung onto the pitch and the synthetic track.

Gates were battered, the players’ tunnel roof was hammered, and posters and hoardings were torn down.

Two canopies erected for Messi and the Chief Minister’s enclosure were smashed, with some fans even attempting to set parts of them on fire before police stepped in to douse the flames.

The rampage continued for over an hour as sections of the crowd ran amok, shouting “Messi, Messi”, leaving the iconic Salt Lake Stadium in sorry stated with yet a sheer administrative failure.

The exhibition match itself featured a galaxy of former stars -- Abhro Mondal, Tirthankar Sarkar, Mehtab Hossain, Mohammed Rafiq, Debjit Ghosh, Deepak Mondal, Shilton Paul, Dipendu Biswas, Rahim Nabi and Denson Devadas -- all wearing the iconic No. 10 jersey.

For 35 minutes, as chants of “Messi, Messi” echoed across the stands, it felt like there were Messis everywhere. PTI TAP KHS