The video has since crossed six million views on Instagram, with fans flooding the comments section to celebrate the interaction.A Kerala football fan, Yadil M Iqbal, received a direct reply from Lionel Messi on Instagram after posting a heartfelt birthday tribute to the football legend. Messi responded to Yadil’s post with the comment, “¡Gracias Yadil!” (Thank you, Yadil), creating a viral moment among Kerala’s passionate football community.Iqbal, a devoted Messi admirer who regularly creates content about the Argentine star, travels to watch his matches live and uploaded the video on Messi’s 39th birthday on June 24. In the clip, Iqbal stands in front of a massive mural of Messi and wishes him in Spanish.His message translates to: “Happy birthday, Leo. Sending you lots of love from Kerala, India. As one of your biggest admirers, after our historic victory in the 2021 Copa América at the Maracanã, I created this mural in my hometown of Kodungallur, Kerala.”He continues, saying, “I also made a statue of you after our historic victory at the Qatar World Cup. I hope that one day you’ll be able to see everything I’ve created in your honour, recognise me, and see this tribute I made for you. It would mean the world to me as one of your biggest fans.”Iqbal concluded by wishing Messi “all the happiness in the world” and once again extended his birthday greetings in the post’s caption.Watch the video: View this post on Instagram A post shared by Yadil M Iqbal (@yadil_m_iqbal) But the biggest surprise came when Messi himself liked the video and replied with a simple “Thank you.”The video has since crossed six million views on Instagram, with fans flooding the comments section to celebrate the interaction.Story continues below this adOne user wrote, “They laughed, they trolled, they doubted. But today Messi himself commented on your post. Dreams do come true when passion never stops. So happy for you, brother. What a moment!”Another commented, “In whichever language you speak, an Argentine fan will understand. May your wish come true. Let us, Malayalis, feel proud after seeing this.”Many others expressed their amazement at Messi’s response, while several users filled the comments with Argentine flags and heart emojis.