THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : Excitement is in the air as football legends, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, returns to play for Portugal and Argentina respectively at the Euro Cup and Copa America. While Ronaldo will be looking to defend Portugal’s title at the European Championships, Messi will be striving to guide Argentina to the Copa America title after suffering heartbreaks in two previous finals. The duo is sure to grab all the attention this season.
For the football hungry fans of the state, despite the numbing lockdown, the return of international football is a blessing. But for every Messi fan, there is a Ronaldo fan out there and Christy Joseph believes that the Portuguese legend will be crucial for his team as they look to defend the title that they won in 2016.
The likes of France, Belgium, England and Germany have good squads too, making this season a competitive one. Harry Kane, Kevin De Bruyne and Kylian Mbappé are other players to watch out for. But Christy, who has been supporting Ronaldo since his Manchester United days feels the veteran will have a major impact.
At a time when no sporting events are happening in the country due to the second wave, fans are delighted that they can at least catch some quality action on television. “Usually, we wear our Neymar and Messi jerseys and go out and play on grounds around our homes. But due to the lockdown that won’t be possible this time. The fact that the Euros and Copa America will be happening at the same time a treat during these troubling times,” said Akshay Kishore from Kozhikode.
ALL EYES ON GOAL
For us, Argentina and Brazil are like our own teams, and there is a friendly rivalry in most friends’ circles. The fact that the Euros and Copa America will be happening at the same time is a treat during these troubling times, says Akshay Kishore, Kozhikode.
I am looking forward to the Euros and the Copa America because they will provide the much-needed international football action before the World Cup next year. There are some interesting groups like Group F in the Euros which will interest people a lot, says Abhishek Ramesh, Kochi
It will be an emotional tournament for Ronaldo. This is going to be his last Euros and so I’m sure it will mean a lot to him and his fans, says Christy Joseph, Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram.
I want Messi to win a major title for Argentina. He reached the World Cup final and two Copa America finals, but didn’t win. Let’s hope he wins it this time. Argentina has such a massive fanbase in Kerala and it would also be a wonderful tribute for the late Diego Maradona, says Shivam Nair, Kochi.