<p>Kolkata: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/india/west-bengal">West Bengal</a> Chief Minister <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/mamata-banerjee">Mamata Banerjee</a>, who received a jersey signed by Argentine football star Lionel Messi, described him as an "artist with the ball." Banerjee said the jersey symbolises the unbreakable connection between Bengal and the beautiful game.</p>.<p>"Football is a passion that runs through my veins, much like every person in Bengal who has ever kicked a ball on the 'para' fields. Today, that passion found a special place as I received a jersey signed by none other than Lionel Messi," the CM said in a post on X on Wednesday night.</p>.<p>"The love for football binds us all, and Messi, an artist with the ball, a maestro of our times, embodies the spirit of brilliance that Bengal admires. This jersey is a symbol of the unbreakable connection between Bengal and the beautiful game," she added.</p>
<p>Kolkata: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/india/west-bengal">West Bengal</a> Chief Minister <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/mamata-banerjee">Mamata Banerjee</a>, who received a jersey signed by Argentine football star Lionel Messi, described him as an "artist with the ball." Banerjee said the jersey symbolises the unbreakable connection between Bengal and the beautiful game.</p>.<p>"Football is a passion that runs through my veins, much like every person in Bengal who has ever kicked a ball on the 'para' fields. Today, that passion found a special place as I received a jersey signed by none other than Lionel Messi," the CM said in a post on X on Wednesday night.</p>.<p>"The love for football binds us all, and Messi, an artist with the ball, a maestro of our times, embodies the spirit of brilliance that Bengal admires. This jersey is a symbol of the unbreakable connection between Bengal and the beautiful game," she added.</p>