Kerala: Messi fan who went missing after Argentina loss found dead near bridge in Kottayam

Dinu Alex, who hails from Arumanoor village near Kottayam, was last seen by his parents watching late night football match at his home.

The body of Dinu Alex, an ardent fan of Argentina captain Lionel Messi who went missing on June 21 was found near Illikkal Bridge in Kottayam on Sunday. Dinu, who hails from Arumanoor village near Kottayam, was last seen by his parents watching late night football match at his home.

Alex had been missing ever since the Latin American team lost a group stage match to Croatia in the FIFA World Cup on Friday morning.

He left behind a suicide note in Malayalam that read: "Nothing is left in this World for me to watch. I am walking towards death... Nobody is responsible for my death."

Dinu, who never played football, followed all the major league matches and was a die-hard Messi fan. He worked as an accountant in a private firm and had told his colleagues before the match that Argentina would win and his hero would score.

Dinu's father said his son was a great fan of Lionel Messi, captain of Argentina, which has just one point from two games in so far in the world cup in Russia.

However, after the team lost against Croatia on Thursday night, Dinu reportedly cried and switched off his phone.

Argentina suffered a 3-0 loss at the hands of Croatia and is on the verge of facing a humiliation of a group-stage exit at the World Cup in Russia. Though Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli took the blame for the loss but fans were not ready to spare captain Lionel Messi.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup fever has gripped India and fans across the country are celebrating one of the biggest sporting events with enthusiasm. Keralites, in particular, are known for their craze towards football and recently one such fan Clifin Francis, proved his love by cycling all the way to Russia to watch the tournament and fulfill his dream of meeting Lionel Messi.