On July 13, a picture went viral on Indian social media in which a portrait image of the Argentine footballer could be seen on the packaging of a beedi bundle. Beedi is a thin cigarette or mini-cigar filled with tobacco flakes and commonly wrapped in a tendu, originating in the Indian subcontinent.
The Argentine star’s picture on a beedi packet has gone viral after a Twitter user posted it and joked that it was his ‘first endorsement in India’.
This surely gave way to memes and hilarious jokes on the Internet. Messi’s popularity in India’s beedi-smoking community makes him the second international football superstar to appear on the front of product packaging. Portuguese freak-athlete and Messi’s legacy rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, has already had the honour before him.
“Smoke and you will never miss a penalty in life. Special packing for England team”, wrote a Twitter user.
