Ecstatic Indian fan spots Lionel Messi next to his balcony in Paris, shares video

Thousands of supporters flocked to Paris to greet Lionel Messi, who has joined the French club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). There were a few Indians among them who wanted to catch a peek of the football superstar. Two Malayali Messi admirers Sameer and Anas were fortunate enough to get a close look at the player. While Messi was waving to his supporters from the hotel balcony, his Malayali followers on the next balcony yelled out the footballer's name, to which Messi responded with a thumbs up, much to their delight.

It was a unique viewpoint for filming the legend, which most French people could only view from the street below. They shared a video of this memorable experience on social media which spread like wildfire.  Anas persisted to yell Messi's name until the player, who appeared to be with wife Antonella and eldest son Thiago, looked at him and made a gesture.

Anas was ecstatic and said, "Can't believe this!" before switching to Malayalam and saying, "Makkale, kando, footballinte rajavu (Watch out sons, the king of football)." Before arriving at the balcony, Sameer and Anas had gone down to the street to get a sense of the scene. They believe it was a fortunate move because, as the world's greatest defenders know, getting close to Messi requires luck.

Lionel Messi’s expected to debut for Paris Saint Germain on August 29

Lionel Messi is likely to don the Paris Saint Germain jersey for the very first time on August 29 against Reims. Despite the fact that the Ligue 1 season has commenced and Messi has been spotted at PSG practising, he may not make his official Ligue 1 debut for the club for some weeks.

After winning the Copa America with Argentina, he had a few weeks off to relax, and given that he only joined PSG on August 10, a debut against Strasbourg on August 14 would be too soon. While Messi could be involved during the encounter against Brest on August 20, the player would love to hit the training grounds and regain full match fitness before he makes his first appearance for PSG.