Lionel Messi was born in Assam, claims Congress MP Abdul Khaleque; deletes post later

Congress MP Abdul Khaleque tweeted that Argentinian football legend Lionel Messi was born in Assam. However, he deleted the tweet later. In a tweet that was later retracted by Khaleque, he wrote, "Congratulations from the core of my heart. We are proud of you for your Assam Connection."  

Congress MP Abdul Khaleque hailed football icon Lionel Messi on his historic FIFA World Cup victory against France on Sunday by writing a message on Twitter. However, he also talked about Messi’s “Assam Connection" and claimed the football player was born in Assam.

Taking to Twitter, he wrote:  “Congratulations from the core of my heart. We are proud of you for your Assam Connection." It was later retracted by Khaleque. Many people were surprised by the revelation, and Twitter users didn't waste any time mocking the Congress leader.

One user, however, stated, "Yes, sir, he was my classmate." Another person added, "Messi and his wife visited Assam after the world cup. Never forget where you come from.”

“I learned today that I was born in Assam," another user posted a picture of Messi, mocking the two-time MLA. BJP leader Ramesh Solanki took to Twitter and shared screenshots of the deleted tweet.

Lionel Messi, wearing a black Qatari robe over his blue-and-white Argentina shirt, kissed the World Cup, shuffled toward his teammates and hoisted the golden trophy high in the air. It was a memorable moment that officially elevates the soccer hero to the hall of fame of the sport. After a 3-3 draw in which Messi, 35, scored twice and France's Kylian Mbappé, a forward, scored three times, Argentina defeated France 4-2 on penalties to win its third World Cup.

On the other hand, many users drew a comparison between Messi and Sachin Tendulkar, claiming that the Argentine player also has a 'Maharashtra connection' given both Tendulkar and Messi wear the number 10 on their jerseys.