Jay Shah, the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on Friday received a signed jersey from the captain of World Cup-winning Argentina’s captain Lionel Messi. Former Indian spinner Pragyan Ojha took to Instagram to share the happiness of having received the gift by posting a photo of himself with Shah holding up the jersey.
“#GOAT sends his best wishes & signed match jersey for jay bhai! What a humble personality. Hopefully, I will get one for myself…. Soon,” he scribbled beneath the post.
Shah had earlier lauded Argentina for winning their third World Cup title. "What an incredible game of football! Both teams played extraordinarily well but congratulations to Argentina for winning their 3rd #FIFAWorldCup! A well-deserved victory,” he had posted on Twitter following Argentina’s title victory in the FIFA World Cup 2022 final against France. Messi scored twice as Argentina battled to a 3-3 draw in extra time before prevailing on penalties.
Messi showcased a commendable performance in the tournament this year, scoring a total of seven goals and serving three assists and was awarded the Golden Ball for his performance.
Messi, with the recent win, also became the first player in FIFA’s history to have won two Golden Ball awards. He last won the title in the 2014 World Cup.
In a career spanning three decades, Messi has won 37 club trophies, seven Ballon D'Or awards and six European Golden Boots. With his appearance in the final match, his total number of appearances in the World Cup matches went up to 26, thus making him the footballer with the most appearances in FIFA World Cup history.
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With the final, Messi also broke Italian footballer Paolo Maldini’s world record of playing the most minutes in the tournament.
Followed by Argentina’s victory, Messi vowed to continue playing for his country despite finally realising his lifetime ambition of winning the World Cup.
(With inputs from AFP)