Fanatics will go to any length to assert their devotion and zeal for what they hold dear. And when it comes to World Cup football, the craze borders on the bizarre.
Take the case of Amjad Hossain, a farmer from Ghoramara village in Magura’s Sadar upazila. He sold a portion of his land and borrowed some money to make—hold your breath—a 5.5-km-long German flag! 
This was not Amjad’s first attempt to show his support for Germany. During the 2014 FIFA World Cup, he had made a 3-km-long flag and was naturally over the moon when Die Mannschaft (the German football team) bagged their fourth World Cup title.
Joynal Abedin Tutul from Fatullah in Narayanganj is another football fanatic. A diehard fan of Brazil, he has painted his six-storey building with green and yellow, earning it the moniker of “Brazil House”.
Before every World Cup, these are common scenes across Bangladesh even if the country itself does not participate in this quadrennial extravaganza. The whole atmosphere of the country changes during the greatest show on earth, with friends turning foes, strangers becoming friends and the sane giving in to insanity for a month. 
The classic debate of “who is the greatest” takes centre stage across dining tables, tea stalls, saloons, public transport, schools, colleges, universities, offices and almost everywhere else. 
But what are the reasons behind this fanatical support for other countries?
“I don’t know exactly. I have been following the Argentina football team since my childhood. My elder brother used to talk to me about Diego Maradona, Gabriel Batistuta and Oscar Ruggeri. During the 2006 World Cup, I saw the magic of Lionel Messi. Since then, I have been an avid supporter of Argentina,” said Ishtiaq Ahmed, an engineering student.
Sabbir Hasan, a student of Jagannath University, claimed to be a hard core fan of Selecao (Brazil). But his heart still beats for his country. “I would scream my lungs out if Bangladesh were to play in the World Cup. Unfortunately, with our football’s current infrastructure and the quality of our footballers, it would not be an overstatement to say that I would miss seeing my country play the World Cup in my lifetime,” Sabbir added a little pessimistically.
“And I don’t see any problem if the people of our country get carried away with their passion for a month,” he said while hoisting a huge flag of Brazil on his roof.
So, which are the most favourite teams in the 2018 FIFA World Cup?
“Brazil, Argentina, Germany and France,” a group of six undergrads from Dhaka University shout in unison. Among them, Sagor, Asif and Jubayer believe Brazil is the most eligible team to lift the cup.
“We have players like Neymar, Jesus and Firmino for attack, and Casemiro, Cautinho and Willian are the world’s most effective midfielders,” Sagor said.
“No, no, no wait,” Miftah interjected his friend Sagor. “May be you guys don’t follow Argentine football that much. For your information, we went to the finals of the last World Cup. Unfortunately, our journey ended because of bad luck. 
Messi won’t disappoint us this time. He will pour his heart out on the field. You don’t get to say anything. Did you guys forget the historic 7-up against Germany,” Miftah asked sarcastically.
To this, Ratul, the only German fan in the group, retorted: “Did you, the Argentine fans, forget Gotze in extra time?”
The friendly banter soon turned into an altercation and as wise men say, it was our cue to leave.