When I planned my 27th birthday trip to Kerala, I had a very clear vision in mind.
There would be beaches. There would be the backwaters. There would be long boat rides, cute cafés, and perhaps a fancy dinner overlooking the water. What I did not anticipate was celebrating my birthday with Lionel Messi.
And yet, that's exactly what happened.
As my cab made its way through the city, I noticed something unusual. Every few hundred metres, there were little flags fluttering in the wind. Not Indian flags, but football team flags. Argentina. Portugal. Brazil.
Then came the cutouts.
Life-size versions of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo towered over roadsides and neighbourhoods. Some were perched dramatically on rooftops, others stood proudly at junctions like local celebrities.
Within minutes of leaving the airport, it became clear that football wasn't merely followed here. It was celebrated.
This, I would soon learn, was just Kerala being Kerala.
While the rest of India breathes cricket, Kerala has long nurtured a passionate love affair with football. The sport is woven into the state's culture, from local tournaments played on muddy grounds to international matches that draw crowds into cafés, hotels, and living rooms. Football here isn't merely watched; it's a religion.
As someone whose football knowledge is embarrassingly limited, I was fascinated.
I know exactly two things about football: Cristiano Ronaldo gave his fiancée a massive 25-karat diamond ring, and Lionel Messi's birthday falls a day after mine.
That's about it.
But football, it seemed, had other plans for me.
My original one was to bring in my birthday beside the backwaters or perhaps at a beautiful restaurant in Fort Kochi. Instead, on the eve of my birthday, I found myself staring at a sign in my hotel lobby that read:
Argentina vs Austria Screening In The Main Area.
The hotel had organised a screening for guests. Chairs were lined up in front of a giant screen. The guests, hotel staff, and even people not staying at the hotel gathered, some wearing Argentina jerseys. Excitement filled the air, and just like that, my birthday plans changed.
As midnight approached, I was no longer sitting beside the backwaters. I was in a hotel lobby packed with football fans.
Then came the cake.
One minute, I was celebrating with my fiancé. The next, I was cutting cake surrounded by complete strangers who had assembled to watch Argentina play.
Cake slices were passed around the room. Random people wished me happy birthday. Others were too invested in the match to fully look away from the screen.
Honestly, it was perfect.
There was something oddly heartwarming about celebrating with people I had met only hours earlier. No reservations, no elaborate décor needed.
As if the evening wasn't already surreal enough, Argentina won. The lobby erupted in cheers and suddenly, my birthday celebration had turned into a football celebration too.
For someone who barely follows the sport, I did not expect that I would be welcoming my 27th year alongside a crowd passionately supporting a man often considered football's greatest player.
My almost birthday twin, Messi, had unknowingly become part of my birthday party.
The football fever didn't end there.
Over the next few days, I noticed it everywhere.
Every café seemed to display team posters. Every lane featured flags hanging from buildings. Walls carried murals of football legends. In some places, local teenage boys had gone a step further, cleverly editing their own faces onto posters alongside their favourite teams and players.
The fandom was impossible to miss.
One of the most fascinating things I learned during the trip was that Kerala's football culture had even sparked a conversation at the government level. As per our cabbie, authorities reportedly asked for certain posters and cutouts featuring football stars smoking or holding cigars to be removed, concerned that young fans might imitate what they saw.
Only in Kerala, I thought, could football cutouts become a matter of public discussion.
From the same cabbie, we learned more about Kerala's football culture. The state's love for the sport dates back decades, with football taking root during the colonial era before becoming an inseparable part of local life.
Today, neighbourhood fan clubs, local tournaments, and screenings of international matches keep that passion alive. During major tournaments and international fixtures, entire streets are decorated in support of teams like Argentina, Brazil and Portugal, making football feel less like a sport and more like a festival.
And frankly? I loved every minute of it.
I went to Kerala expecting beaches, boats, and backwaters. I found all of those, of course. But I also found something I never expected -- an entire state united by its love for football.
Sometimes the best travel memories don't even need you to step out. Sometimes they're made in a hotel lobby sharing chocolate cake with people you don't know.
