Maradona to Messi: Why Bangladesh loves Argentina’s footballers

Dhaka, Bangladesh — The elephantine surface had gone acheronian but thousands of supporters were inactive chanting, “Argentina! Argentina! Messi! Messi!” arsenic vuvuzelas blared done the crowd. It was a oversea of entity bluish and white.

Moments earlier, Lionel Messi, Argentina’s talisman, had completed a hat-trick successful his country’s opening World Cup lucifer against Algeria. Young men who had watched the crippled connected the surface were draped successful Argentina’s flags, arsenic they climbed onto each other’s shoulders, singing and celebrating agelong aft the last whistle.

This could person been a country from Buenos Aires. It was the world successful Dhaka, the superior of Bangladesh, 17,000km from the Argentinian capital.

Bangladesh has ne'er qualified for a FIFA World Cup. Yet each 4 years, erstwhile Argentina play, neighbourhoods crossed the state erupt successful celebration. Giant screens look connected assemblage campuses and successful neighbourhoods. Apartment blocks organise overnight ticker parties and streets capable with Argentina’s colours.

For Abdul Hai, a 50-year-old antheral successful Dhaka, the travel began agelong earlier Messi.

The lifelong Argentina protagonist traces his devotion backmost to the 1986 World Cup, erstwhile Diego Maradona led Argentina to the title. “I fell successful emotion with Maradona successful 1986,” Hai said. “I was precise young, but I saw firsthand however radical became brainsick astir him. His style, his passion, his accomplishment – adjacent the ‘Hand of God’ – everything captivated america similar thing else. He became a fable and a sensation for us.”

Argentina’s adjacent World Cup triumph would not travel for different 36 years — nether Messi successful Qatar during the 2022 event. “But the hold was worthy it,” Hai said. “After I saw Messi holding the World Cup, I person nary regret with shot immoderate more. This World Cup I’m watching with heavy joyousness alternatively of the apprehension I felt successful erstwhile tournaments.”

Thousands of Bangladeshi fans gathered earlier a elephantine surface astatine Dhaka University for the Argentina-Algeria match, connected June 17, 2026 [Masum Billah/Al Jazeera]

The Maradona magic

Former Bangladesh nationalist shot squad manager and subordinate Shafiqul Islam Manik said Hai’s communicative mirrors however Argentina’s enactment archetypal took basal crossed Bangladesh. “From what I person seen, it truly started successful 1986,” Manik said. “Argentina’s triumph implicit England aft the Falklands War. And past Maradona winning the World Cup changed everything. Watching Maradona’s idiosyncratic brilliance, Bangladesh’s shot supporters gradually became Argentina supporters.”

Brazil, helium said, already had an tremendous pursuing due to the fact that of its World Cup triumphs and iconic footballers. But “Argentina became the antagonistic to Brazil,” Manik said. “Before that, astir radical successful Bangladesh supported Brazil. From 1986 onwards, Argentina began gathering its ain instrumentality base.”

He believes Argentina’s decision 4 years aboriginal — successful 1990 — lone strengthened that bond. “When Maradona couldn’t assistance the trophy successful 1990 and cried aft the final, that touched mean radical here,” helium said. “From past on, Argentina’s enactment became firmly established.”

That besides helps explicate wherefore different footballing giants similar Germany oregon Italy ne'er built akin followings. “Because Argentina and Brazil had already occupied that affectional space,” helium said.

Bangladeshi fans stroke connected vuvuzelas up of Argentina’s lucifer against Algeria connected June 17, 2026 [ Masum Billah/Al Jazeera]

Bangladeshis’ affection for Argentina has besides recovered an assemblage successful diplomacy. Marcelo Carlos Cesa, Argentina’s ambassador successful Bangladesh, has been joining fans astatine nationalist screenings successful Dhaka, celebrating Argentina’s matches alongside them.

After Bangladesh’s World Cup celebrations successful enactment of Argentina captured planetary attraction successful 2022, the authorities successful Buenos Aires reopened its embassy successful Dhaka successful 2023, ending a 45-year absence. The ngo had been unopen successful 1978 by the then-military dictatorship successful Argentina amid fund cuts.

While the determination to reopen the embassy reflected broader diplomatic and commercialized interests, officials from some countries person besides pointed to shot arsenic a catalyst for person people-to-people ties.

The younger procreation of Bangladeshi fans, however, are much successful thrall of Messi’s tricks than of Maradona’s memory. “I person loved Argentina since I was a child, particularly due to the fact that of Messi,” said Dwin Islam, a private-sector employee, arsenic hundreds of supporters gathered for an Argentina supporters’ “welcome rally” successful Dhaka hours earlier the team’s opening match.

Unlike Hai’s generation, Islam ne'er watched Maradona play. Around him, supporters bushed drums, waved oversized Argentina flags and sang arsenic they marched done the rain-soaked streets earlier kickoff.

Others inherited their allegiance from home. Mohammad Jahir says enactment for Argentina runs done his family. “My begetter has been a instrumentality of Argentina. I inherited that support,” helium said. “Then I started knowing shot myself and fell successful emotion with the mode they play.”

With the World Cup taking spot successful the United States, galore matches are being played successful the dormant of nighttime successful Bangladesh. Argentina, which topped their radical astatine the preliminary signifier of the 2026 World Cup, present play their Round of 32 lucifer against Cape Verde connected June 4, astatine 4am Bangladesh time.

But these times person done small to deter supporters. “I don’t adjacent request an alarm,” Jahir laughed. “When Argentina play, I aftermath up automatically.”

Argentina protagonist Zubaida Islam Jerin with her favored cat, named Messi — besides decked successful an Argentina jersey [Masum Billah/Al Jazeera]

The Argentina-Brazil divide

Sports writer and commentator Shahanoor Rabbani said Bangladesh’s fascination with Argentina and Brazil besides reflects its attraction to sporting heroes.

“If we look backmost successful shot history, those are the 2 teams from South America that person done good during and aft Bangladesh’s independency [in 1971],” Rabbani said. “[From the precocious 1970s onwards], Argentina person won the World Cup aggregate times and truthful person Brazil. From Maradona to Ronaldo and Rivaldo, and present Messi and Neymar, determination person ever been stars that attracted radical towards those teams.

“It’s not lone the benignant of shot but the players they have. Bangladesh, successful general, loves to person a protagonist, a hero, adjacent if it’s a squad game.”

For galore Bangladeshis, shot allegiances disagreement families arsenic overmuch arsenic neighbourhoods. Aiman, a people six student, is simply a Brazil supporter. “My member forced maine to come,” helium said, intelligibly unenthused astir being astatine the “welcome rally” successful Dhaka up of the Argentina-Algeria game. His older brother, Salman, a people 8 student, laughed. “We reason astatine location sometimes,” helium admitted. “Our begetter supports Argentina. And our parent supports Brazil.”

Hours later, those rivalries were disposable again successful beforehand of the elephantine surface adjacent Dhaka University. As thousands celebrated Messi’s hat-trick, 1 teenage Brazil protagonist softly stood among a oversea of Argentina shirts. His Argentina-supporting friends were teasing him. “He came saying the lucifer would extremity successful a draw,” 1 laughed.

Among the rally participants was besides a young governmental activist, Zubaida Islam Jerin, who proudly introduced her favored feline draped successful an Argentina jersey. The cat’s name: Messi.

Nearby, first-year assemblage pupil Saikat Hasan was inactive trying to process what helium had witnessed. “It feels amazing,” helium said aft watching Messi implicit his hat-trick. His person Mahir was already looking ahead. “This time,” helium said confidently, “the World Cup is ours.”

Argentina supporters stitchery successful Dhaka up of the lucifer against Algeria connected June 17, 2026 [Masum Billah/ Al Jazeera]

Can Bangladesh get to the World Cup itself?

But what is “ours”? That’s a question that troubles Rabbani, the journalist.

He wonders wherefore Bangladesh’s passionateness has ne'er translated into footballing success. The state sits astatine 181 successful FIFA rankings of nationalist men’s teams.

“It makes maine truly blessed erstwhile I spot their reactions,” helium said, referring to Bangladeshi fans and their effect to Argentina and Brazil teams. “But astatine the aforesaid time, it besides makes maine bittersweet due to the fact that we person truthful overmuch passion, yet our shot squad and our sports successful wide are obscurity adjacent wherever they should be.”

He argued that Bangladesh lacks the strategy needed to alteration that passionateness into success. “There aren’t capable fields, facilities oregon academies, and determination isn’t a due pathway for young radical who privation to go athletes,” helium said. “People person the passion. They privation to play. But galore simply don’t cognize however to prosecute it.”

Manik, the erstwhile nationalist coach, said Bangladesh erstwhile possessed the foundations of a thriving shot civilization but failed to physique upon them. “We had galore prime players, but cipher thought astir gathering the adjacent procreation oregon creating a due system,” helium said. “Young radical aren’t asking Bangladesh to suffice for the World Cup tomorrow. They simply privation a roadmap and to spot shot moving successful the close direction.”

Rabbani pointed to Bangladesh’s ain sporting past arsenic impervious that concern tin alteration the nationalist mood. “When Bangladesh qualified for the Cricket World Cup successful 1997, the full state celebrated. When Bangladesh bushed Pakistan successful the 1999 [cricket] World Cup, the full state celebrated again. It wasn’t conscionable astir sport. It felt similar Bangladesh had won,” helium said.

“If athletics tin springiness the state that benignant of happiness,” helium asked, “then wherefore shouldn’t determination beryllium much concern successful sport?”