Kochi: The 2018 FIFA World Cup fever has gripped India and fans all over the country are all doing all that they can to celebrate one of the biggest sporting events. Keralites, in particular, are known for their craze towards football and one such fan Clifin Francis, has proved his love for the sport.

The 28-year-old who hails from Cherthala in Kochi rode all the way to Russia on his cycle to catch the live action. His dream is to get his cycle signed by FC Barcelona and Argentina star Lionel Messi.

"I am an ardent fan of football from my childhood and my favourite team is Argentina. It is my big dream to watch a World Cup. But it is very expensive. So I will watch a group match between France and Denmark. After that, I will spend some days in Russia. Then I will return to Kerala on my cycle. Before that, I have to get a signature of Messi on my cycle," he was quoted as saying by the Times of India.

Clifin, who has a B.Tech degree, used to earn his living as a mathematics teacher in a private firm. He used his own earnings to sponsor the trip.

"First I went to Dubai from Kerala by flight and from there I bought a cycle and started my cycling to Russia from there. I have travelled through UAE, Iran, Azerbaijan and reached Russia. I went to Iran from UAE by a ship with my cycle. Though I was planning to go Russia through Georgia, I didn't get a visa to Georgia. So I reached Russia through Azerbaijan border. Now I reached Russia and I must cycle more than 600 km to reach Moscow," Clifin added.

Clifin is hopeful of reaching well in time to Moscow, 600 km away to watch the match between France and Denmark.

"I hope I will reach Moscow within a week and I will watch the group match between France and Denmark. This journey is a wonderful experience for me and I will definitely make it into a book. I stayed in tents in order to save the money on the way to Russia. The people and the officials of all the countries I travelled gave me a good treat when they know I am an Indian. I also met Malayalees in Azerbaijan, who were doing various jobs there. They treated me like a brother and no words to explain my gratitude to them," he continued.