Internationally placed at the 97th spot, the FIFA World Cup is still quite a far away dream for us Indians. At present, the global football tournament is open to only 32 nations, which might go up to 48 in the World Cup to be played at Qatar. The appearance of the Indian football team in the competition is still a distant dream.
However, Rishi Tej, a 10-year old boy from Bengaluru created history and lived his dreams by becoming the first ever Indian to be an official match ball carrier. The kid achieved the feat in the Group G match between Belgium and Panama, at the Fisht Stadium, Sochi. Rishi was quoted as saying, “I am so excited, you cannot measure it even. It’s like I am still dreaming. In Russia, I want to live every moment. During the match, I just don’t want to enjoy but also analyse how they play.”
The match ended with the globally ranked third team, Belgium netting three goals against Panama and got a winning start to their World Cup race.
Rishi isn’t the only Indian to feature in this World Cup as the Official Match Ball Carrier (OMBC). Nathania John K, from Andhra Pradesh achieved the same feat during the Group E match between Brazil and Costa Rica.
