A Bangladeshi cyclist traveled 1003 km in your country in honor of the number of matches you have played Lionel Messi in his career. He now hopes to travel to Argentina to connect the cities of Río Gallegos in Santa Cruz and Rosario in Santa Fe, where the soccer star and recent world champion is from.
Tammat Bil Khoar, 23, from Gopalgonj city, began his journey to honor the world’s best player on December 24, cycling 1,003 kilometers in 9 days, from Teknaf city in southern Bangladesh to Tentulia on the northern border of the country.
“The message I wanted to give to people is not to give up your life, to give your best. Messi had to play more than a thousand games to win the World Cup“Tammat told Télam. And he added: “I’ve always believed in Messi and in the team, we played well, we fought and we deserved to win the World Cup,” as if he felt like one more Argentine.
Bengalis’ devotion to the national team, which has drawn thousands of people to gather to watch World Cup matches and celebrate the triumphs of Lionel Scaloni’s team, has played into Tammat’s favor during his tour of the country.
“During the 9 days that the trip lasted, I spent the night in different cities and people, seeing me in the Argentina shirt, helped meThey gave me shelter or food,” he said.
It is not the first time that Tammat has undertaken a tour of this magnitude, as in 2017 he had already crossed the 64 districts of Bangladesh in 25 days, cycling for around 4,000 kilometres.
In 2018 he covered the 1,000 kilometers that separate Teknaf from Tetulia, and in 2019 he crossed the 64 districts of the country in 15 days, where he set the national record.
Bangladesh’s love for Argentina and its captaincy has led to deepening bilateral ties between the countries, as Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina sent a letter to Argentine President Alberto Fernández celebrating winning their third World Cup title. world by the albiceleste.
Hasina expressed her “heartfelt congratulations” to Argentina for “the spectacular victory” at the World Cup in Qatar, after triumphing against France in the final of the tournament played on Sunday 18 December.
“Thank you Sheikh Hasina and all the people of Bangladesh. The unity and mutual affection we have seen in recent weeks has become inexplicable, both flags are also flying here today. Let us deepen this bond,” Fernández returned the courtesy from his Twitter official account. the social network Twitter.
Furthermore, Argentina has announced that this year it will open an embassy in Dhaka, the capital of the Asian country, while the country bordering India has formalized an invitation for the national team to play a match there.
“We want to bring Messi to Bangladesh,” he said on December 15 in dialogue with Télam Sadia Faizunnesa, Bangladesh’s ambassador to Brazil and who serves as diplomatic authority for Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Chile.
“We will try to do it, we want to play a match in Bangladesh. Messi is very popular, we love Argentines for football, so it would be an honor to have him in our country,” said the diplomat.
“It’s amazing the love we haveI can’t explain it with words. Undoubtedly, Bangladesh is the second most fanatic country of the national team after Argentina,” Tammat said, and acknowledged that after getting the title in Qatar “everyone was happy” in his country, “We celebrated as if our country had won the cup. In every city I’ve crossed I’ve seen Argentine flags and photos of Messi,” said the cyclist, who confessed he’s been a La Pulga fan “always”.
“I’ve been a fan since I was little, watching his matches on television. His style has always seemed beautiful and different to me, he has become an inspiration in my life,” he said.
The fascination for the Argentine player does not end only with the completion of this long journey undertaken by Tammat, but rather the young man hopes to get to know Argentina and tour the country by bicycle.
“I would like to get to know Argentina, which is Messi’s country. I want to cycle the 2,600 kilometers that separate the cities of Río Gallegos and Rosario. I want to get to know Argentine culture through this trip and for Argentines to get to know more about Bangladesh” , said the young man, who sent a letter to the Bangladesh football federation to be sent to the Argentine Football Association (AFA) recounting the journey he made to honor the 10th anniversary of the national team.
In September 2011, eleven years before getting their third star in Qatar, the Argentina national team, then led by Alejandro Sabella, played a friendly against Nigeria. That night, Lionel Messi assisted Gonzalo Higuaín and Ángel Di María for two of the three goals with which he won second place at Brazil 2014.
Nicolás Otamendi also played that 6 September. Messi, Di María and Otamendi, members of the so-called “old guard”, lifted the World Cup in Doha on December 18, a fact that generated celebrations not only in Argentina, but also, yes, in Bangladesh.
With information from Telam
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Source: Clarin
Jason Root is the go-to source for sports coverage at News Rebeat. With a passion for athletics and an in-depth knowledge of the latest sports trends, Jason provides comprehensive and engaging analysis of the world of sports.