Thiruvananthapuram, June 24: An ardent Lionel Messi fan, who went missing from his house in Kerala's Ayarkunnam, was found dead in a river located 20-km away from his residence.

The body of deceased, identified as 30-year-old Dinu Alex, was recovered by the police and fire & rescue personnel near the Illeckal bridge, where a water hyacinth is formed due to Meenachil river flowing down.

Alex's body was identified by his father based upon the gold chain he was wearing, said the police. While the death prima facie appears to be a case of suicide, the post-mortem report is awaited.

The deceased had left behind a suicide note at his home before he went missing on Thursday. In the note, he blamed the dismal performance of Argentina in the ongoing Fifa World Cup as the reason for ending his life.

On the day Alex went missing, the South American football lost 0-3 to Croatia. The Messi-led side is reeling at 1 point in the tournament so far and is expected to be knocked out if fails to stage a turnaround.

Messi, 30, is one of the most followed footballers across the world. In 2016, the Argentinian had announced his retirement from the sport as his side had failed to win the final against Chile in the 2016 Copa América. However, the support from fans drew Messi back into the game with his target fixed on winning the coveted world title for his nation in 2018. In case of a rout, fans are expecting Messi to hang up his boots.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 24, 2018 04:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).