- Nasima Akter
Cristiano Ronaldo Greets Bangladesh and Fans
A video featuring Cristiano Ronaldo has recently gone viral. The video was shared on a Facebook page titled Amitab Deb Nath and shows the football star standing alongside a man and greeting Bangladeshis.
In the footage, the Al-Nassr forward is heard saying, “Salam Alaikum [peace be upon you] Bangladesh! Bye-bye.” It’s unknown how the male got a video with the player, but it’s speculated that the Bangladeshis who may be working for Ronaldo's current club Al Nassr, have recorded this video and circulated it on social media.
The post has so far gained over three hundred thousand views and spread to Twitter thanks to a page called The CR7 Timeline. Both posts have brought delight to plenty of Bangladeshi fans, who are known for their football craze.
Other Acknowledgements of Bangladeshi Fans
Ronaldo is not the only player to have acknowledged Bangladeshi fans. During the 2022 World Cup, Bangladesh made the news for its support for Argentina. They had gone viral on social media for their sheer celebration of Argentina’s group-stage matches. Several photos showed thousands of fans showing their support.
When interviewed about Argentina’s Bangladeshi fans, Lionel Messi said he knew about them and found their support beautiful.
In another interview, Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni said, “I think, because of Diego (Maradona) first, then Messi, the fans of Argentine football have increased. I am proud to know that we have such support in Bangladesh. Not only in Bangladesh, but people from many other countries also support us.”
Another time that Bangladeshi fans got acknowledged was by the Liga Profesional de Fútbol de la AFA (Professional Football League of Argentina). The group shared a photo on their social media accounts with the caption, "Thank you Bangladesh. The World Champions League will forever be grateful."
The photo shows mascots holding a Bangladesh flag behind an Argentine flag with words reading: Gracias Bangladesh -- Dhonnobaad (Thanks Bangladesh).
Sources say that the photo was taken before the kickoff of the Argentina Primera Division fixture between hosts Gimnasia and Defense y Justica at the Juan Carmelo Zerillo Stadium.
Bangladesh Football History
While Bangladesh has a great love for football, its national team has not made it far in football tournaments. The reason why Bangladesh shows so much support for Argentina is that they are considered the second national team and have been so since Diego Maradona gave Argentina the trophy in 1986.
What makes the victory so significant? 1986 marks the year that Bangladesh’s then-only television channel had the rights to show the World Cup knockout games live.
Recently, it’s reported that Argentina might travel to the South East Asian country in June 2023 to return the favour of Bangladesh’s support. According to an interview with Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) President Kazi Salahuddin in January:
“Argentina said they would like to visit Bangladesh during the FIFA window in June 2023 and regarding the tournament venue, the match will be held at Bangabandhu Stadium in the capital (Dhaka).”
Currently, plans for the visit are still in progress and talks are going on regarding terms and conditions.
