KOCHI: Malayalis are known for our love for football. The recent club transfers of Messi and Ronaldo were quite the news for Kerala’s football fans too, and it seems to have lit up sales at sportswear shops across the capital city
To the football world, Argentinian footballer Lionel Andrés Messi is nothing less than a Messiah. After a few dramatic turns of events, he recently joined a new club — the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). The news that rattled and excited football aficionados around the world also became the flame of hope for many sportswear shopkeepers in Thiruvananthapuram. Messi’s new PSG jersey numbered ‘30’ has been selling like hotcakes at the sports apparel shops across the capital city.
Following the pandemic and restrictions, business was looking extremely dull for these shopkeepers. But then came the news of Messi’s transfer and that of celebrated Portugal star player Cristiano Ronaldo too. Enquiries are now flooding in, for Ronaldo’s Manchester United jersey, says the shop owners.
“Messi’s PSG 30 jersey is sold out in our shop as of now. We had to place new order to meet the demand. It is a relief for us, after months of losses due to the pandemic, and lockdown-related restrictions. The jerseys are priced from `200, so all the youngsters in the city can afford them. Since many football turfs are also open, they want to go play wearing Messi’s new jersey. It is also being bought as a gifting option,” says Jijin A B, a salesperson at Valsala Sports Shop in Press Road, Statue.
Nazar P of Naaz Sportswear in Pulimoodu is overjoyed by the number of customers at his shop. He has many orders for Messi’s new jersey that fits children from age two to five. “Last week, we sold more than 800 new PSG Messi jerseys. The original jersey costs around `5,000. We have imported ones from Thailand and also the first copies that are priced between `200 and `1,000. Messi’s new jersey was popular among girls too,” says Nazar.
The city’s increasing love for football is a welcome trend for these traders. Nazar also made a good profit in the last two weeks from CR7 fans who lined up to buy Ronaldo’s new Manchester United jersey.
Just so we know what it feels like to own a jersey when football is boiling in your blood, we spoke to Pratheesh P Natarajan, a young fan who is employed at the Kerala Government Secretariat. “As fans, we always try to grab the jersey during the initial phase of club announcements. Since most of them get sold out soon, we book days in advance. It was a double delight for me to have new jerseys of my favourite players Messi and Ronaldo. I plan to wear them while playing football with friends. That will be quite the style statment,” he quips.