Sheikh Hasina.

Gulf Today Report

The victory of Argentina in the World Cup final has triggered a lot of joy worldwide, including Bangladesh.  Like many other countries, this South Asian nation too is crazy about football and Argentina, going into a frenzy over the country’s win after a dramatic turnaround in the last minutes of the game. This led to an interesting side effect: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wants to have direct diplomatic relations with Argentina.

According to a report in a section of the Indian media, Sheikh Hasina said the passion and love for football, particularly the Argentinian team, united the two nations. The Bangladeshis have shown their admiration and love through the “spontaneous celebration” of Argentina’s victory, she added.

She proposed setting up diplomatic missions in each other’s nations.

Argentina is a member of the G-20 group of nations and Bangladesh will attend the upcoming G-20 meeting in New Delhi as a “guest country.”

The heat of the excitement snuffed out any shivering from the cold December night as thousands watched the action on television screens on the streets, roads and football grounds.

One Bangladesh national, Mohammad Hasan, 19, said, "Messi has proved he is the greatest player in the world. He is even greater than Diego Maradona or his rival Cristiano Ronaldo. The debate is over," he said.