Buenos Aires, Apr 30 (EFE).- The Argentine Football Association (AFA), along with the Chinese technology company Xiaomi, presented on Tuesday an exclusive smartphone for the Indian market personalized with Leo Messi's number, the team captain.

The phone comes with the blue and white colors of the Argentine team, which got its third star at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The football association, presided over by Claudio "Chiqui" Tapia, unveiled the phone, which at the moment will be sold only in India and will not have a commercial destination in Argentina, with a video through a publication on its X profile, where several iconic names of Lionel Scaloni's team appear.

Goalkeeper Emiliano "Dibu" Martínez, midfielder Rodrigo de Paul, winger Ángel di María, and Messi are the main characters in the footage, which also features several moments from the World Cup in Qatar.

The phone is a Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G model, whose design mimics the "Scaloneta" jersey on the back, also featuring the legendary number 10 of the former FC Barcelona and Paris Saint Germain player.

The launch comes almost a year after the AFA announced that Xiaomi was becoming the new regional sponsor in India, strengthening its presence in that region.

The strategic alliance made the Argentine Football Association go up to the highest number of commercial agreements in this territory, according to a statement.

In 1986, when Doordarshan began broadcasting FIFA World Cup matches from the second round onwards, Argentina and Diego Maradona entered the lives of Indian fans, who are faithful followers of Argentinian football.

However, Messi's Indian fandom is especially devoted, for example, in Kerala, a state on the Malabar coast there is a life-size statue of Lionel Messi. EFE

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