The Albany Gazette - Indonesian Messi superfan welcomes World Cup

The 54-year-old fisherman from a small village in Polewali Mandar, West Sulawesi, has been a superfan of the Argentine football team since the 1980s and adores superstar Lionel Messi.

His two-storey wooden house is painted in the white and sky blue of the Albiceleste.

Muhammad also painted the pebbles in his yard, the fence -- even his slippers.

"I've liked the Argentine team since the Maradona era, and now we have Messi," Muhammad told AFP of his football hero.

Posters of Messi and the Argentine team jersey adorned every corner of his home a world away from South America.

Outside his house, surrounded by poles flying the Argentine flag, festivities were underway ahead of the FIFA World Cup kickoff on Thursday.

A large replica of the golden World Cup trophy boasted pride of place in the centre of Muhammad's front yard, attracting visitors from neighbouring villages.

Muhammad's love for the World Cup-winning captain runs deep and is shared by his family.

His three-year-old grandson is named Muhammad Messi.

The boy was born on the day Argentina beat Mexico in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup.

That year, Muhammad went viral in Indonesia for walking six kilometres (3.7 miles) from his house to visit his newborn grandson in a neighbouring village -- which he had promised to do only if Argentina won football's top prize.

Football-mad Indonesia participated in the World Cup just once, in 1938, when it was known as the Dutch East Indies, losing 6-0 in the final 16 to Hungary.

The Southeast Asian country was eliminated from the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying race last year.

Muhammad said he plans to watch every Argentina game in what is likely to be Messi's last World Cup.

"I hope Messi can be a world champion again in 2026," he told AFP.

(B.Smith--TAG)