Lionel Messi most desirable for young Indian women: Survey

New Delhi: Argentine superstar Lionel Messi, who has announced his retirement from international football, has emerged as the most desirable footballer for Indian women, in an poll conducted by an online matrimony platform. With the Euro football championship underway, Shaadi.com conducted the online poll -- The Most Eligible and Desirable Football Player -- with 6,500 responses from single and married women of 25 to 34 years of age, read a statement. As many as 49.7 per cent of the respondents gave their vote to Barcelona icon Messi when asked about the Most Desirable Footballer. Following close behind is Neymar (31.5 per cent) and Antoine Griezmann (18.8 per cent). When they were asked to vote for the Most Eligible Footballer, 46.4 per cent of the respondent women voted for Cristiano Ronaldo, 43.1 per cent voted for Messi and 10.5 percent voted for Manuel Neuer. When the women were asked if they watch football, 33.6 per cent said "Yes", 20.9 per cent said "No" and 45.5 per cent said "Sometimes/Important leagues". Talking about the result of the poll, Shaadi.com CEO Gourav Rakshit said: "Today, couples have the luxury to design their own lifestyle. They do not necessarily follow the norms. Reading, cooking or listening to music is no more a trend, couples now like travelling or watching sports together." “Compatability has a very different approach and meaning for this generation like. We at Shaadi.com always aspire and make an attempt to remain relevant for our audience to help them find the right one," he said.