When 13-year-old Tanishka nutmegged Luis Suarez in front of Lionel Messi: ‘He looked at me with a surprised expression’

Suarez was left jaw dropped; his expression frozen in disbelief, before a smile slowly followed. It was a brief exchange, but one that instantly became unforgettable. For Tanishka, the moment was surreal. “He didn’t say anything. He just looked at me with a surprised expression. It was a great feeling because my dream was to meet Ronaldo, but I met Messi – that was a big dream,” she told The Indian Express.

Emotional moment

Every seat in every stand was filled, every phone held high, as Messi made his way around the ground. (Express photo by Sankhadeep Banerjee)

Moments later, Tanishka had another memory to treasure. When she met Messi, she showed him his name written on her hand. “He smiled at me,” she said. While one moment brought smiles and stunned reactions, another was filled with raw emotion. Nishka Nair, also 13, found herself overwhelmed the moment Messi stepped onto the field.

“When I saw Messi come in, I started crying because it was a very big moment for me. I never thought I would see Messi in person. It felt like I was in a dream,” she said. Tears streamed down her face as Messi approached. She shook hands with him more than once, exchanged a few words, and later stood with other girls, beside him for a photograph – moments she replayed repeatedly in her mind. “It was an awesome experience,” she said.

For Mishta Arun, the moment was quieter but just as powerful. Seeing Messi up close left her completely overwhelmed. “It was amazing, really. I loved it, honestly. I shook hands with him, and I was so in awe. It felt really amazing just to see him,” she said.

Mishta also got the chance to actually pass the ball to Messi, something she found hard to believe even several minutes later after it had happened. “Yeah, I did pass the ball to him, and I had so much fun,” she said. “He was right there in front of me, and I felt so amazing that the GOAT was right in front of me and he was playing with us.” Even the smallest interaction stayed with her. “I said, ‘Ola Messi’ to him, and he said the same thing back,” she recalled.

Jeddy Almeida, Technical Head of Project Mahadeva for girls said: “The girls have worked so hard to reach here that they now know it’s because the hard work leads to success, and they will always keep working hard. The parents are always saying thank you. I’m like, no, say thank you to your children. It’s because of the children that everyone, from the parents, got a chance to meet Messi.”

All three girls are part of a grassroots football programme named Project Mahadeva, which was launched at 6:50 pm by the Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis in Messi’s presence. The selected 60 kids will receive structured training and a Rs 2,000 monthly scholarship, spread across five years, to help with basic needs and schooling.

For months, trained scouts travelled across Maharashtra, moving through major cities and reaching deep into smaller and aspiring districts such as Yavatmal, Gadchiroli, Nandurbar, Dharashiv, and Chandrapur. The effort was about widening the net – making sure talent from every corner of the state had a chance to be noticed, nurtured, and believed in.

For these young footballers, the evening was about proximity – about seeing greatness up close and realising that idols are human, approachable, and inspiring. For 20 precious minutes, between 6:06 pm and 6:26 pm, Messi gave them something no packed stadium could capture: belief.