Lionel Messi’s 39th birthday celebrations in Ichhapur, Bengal
It is not people who make the strangest journeys, but affections. They cross oceans without passports, survive languages they don’t speak, and end up in places one would never expect. Somewhere along this unlikely route, Lionel Messi traveled from Rosario to a narrow lane in Ichhapur, where a tea seller had painted his house in Argentina’s colors and waited years for the chance to say the world’s best footballer a simple Bengali blessing, “bhalo theko” (be well).
Shib Shankar Patra serves tea at his stall under an autographed photo of Lionel Messi with an Argentine tea seller’s house in Ichhapur. | Photo credit: Shreya Banerjee
On Messi’s 39th birthday on June 24, that affection turned Ichhapur’s Nawabganj, an industrial area located in North Barrackpore municipality in North 24 Paraganas, into a small outpost of Argentina.
Messi after winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup | Photo credit: Special arrangement
The stripes were draped in blue and white. Banners fluttered overhead, streamers criss-crossed the narrow streets, and posters with Messi’s face oversaw the celebrations. A priest performed puja in front of a life-size statue of the footballer as neighbours, football fans and curious visitors gathered to mark the 39th birthday of Argentina’s most formidable striker. And not for the first time, 52-year-old tea vendor and Messi devotee Shib Shankar Patra has been hosting Messi’s birthday for the past 12 years.
Shibe da’s home | Photo credit: Shreya Banerjee
Shiba Shankar Patra’s devotion made the annual celebrations a local institution. “He is God to me,” says Shib Shankar or “Shibe da” as he is fondly known. However, this year’s festivities carried the air of the possibility of an end. “It’s probably the last year he’s going to play, and when he’s done with football, I’m going to stop celebrating his birthday too,” he looks away.
Decorations for Messi’s birthday | Photo credit: Shreya Banerjee
Shiba’s dream came true in December 2025 when Messi arrived in Kolkata as part of Messi’s GOAT India tour organized by sports promoter Satadra Dutta. Amidst the crowds and frenzy surrounding the legend’s visit, he found himself face to face with the man whose paintings, posters and precious moments had long hung on the walls of his house and tea stall in Ichhapur. Of all the photographs presented that day, Messi signed only one associated with him, which was a framed picture of Shiba’s Argentine home and stand.
Shibe da holds a framed photo of his Argentina-themed home signed by Lionel Messi | Photo credit: Neha Patra / Instagram
Shib recalls with great pride, “He called me and I went forward. I shook hands with him and blessed him, put my hand on his head and said ‘bhalo theko’,” recalls Patra. “Luis Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul were also there. I also blessed them and said ‘bhalo theko’. God helped me to reach Messi.” He pauses and adds: “He’s the best player ever. I said it in 2010 and I’m saying it again.”
The meeting took on an almost improbable quality in retrospect. Messi’s visit to Kolkata in December 2025 left many fans heartbroken as thousands spent huge sums and traveled long distances to catch glimpses of the footballer. Complaints followed his brief performance at the Yuva Bharati Krirangan, where many felt the barriers between the star and his admirers were reserved for politicians, dignitaries and their families. Against the backdrop of this disappointment, Shib met his hero and walked home with a signed photo and a memento that has since taken on the glow of family folklore.
A priest offering ‘durba’ or sacred grass to a life-size Messi idol as part of the celebrations. | Photo credit: Shreya Banerjee
For his wife Swapna Patra, the celebration was never just about football. “Messi amar gharer chhele (child of our home),” he says. Messi is the son of the house. “Everyone sees him as a great footballer, but we celebrate his birthday just like we celebrate our own children’s birthdays.”
Man carries Messi cut out in Ichhapur | Photo credit: Shreya Banerjee
Explaining the extent of the celebrations, Swapna says that to celebrate Messi’s 39th birthday, the family prepared a 39-pound cake, prepared 39 types of food and 39 types of sweets, distributed 39 sarees to women and 39 sets of shirts and trousers to men. 39 soccer jerseys were distributed to the children. “A jersey means a lot to children. It’s a symbol of affection,” smiles Swapna.
A fan wrapped in clothing resembling the Argentinian flag | Photo credit: Shreya Banerjee
Their daughter Neha still talks about the meeting in Kolkata with the excitement of someone reliving a family milestone. Messi, Suarez and Rodrigo De Paul, she recalled, were particularly struck by a framed photo of the family’s white-and-blue-striped Argentinian three-story home.
Shib Shankar Patra, Neha Patra, Neha’s son Leo, named after Leo Messi, and Swapna Patra at the celebrations. Photo credit: Shreya Banerjee
“They specifically picked up that photo and were excited to see it. Among all the photos, they only signed this frame. As my father is older than Messi, he blessed him. And De Paul hugged my father. All our hard work finally paid off,” says Neha.
In ode to Messi’s 39th birthday, 39 kinds of food and sweets were prepared | Photo credit: Shreya Banerjee
The distance between Messi’s hometown in Rosario and Shibe da’s Ichhapur is roughly 16,782 km, but for once life works its magic, the road clears, the sky opens and the road is paved. And just like that, in a small corner of Bengal, Shiba’s dream was close enough to touch him.
Published – 25 Jun 2026 14:09 IST