18 December 2025 Punjab Khabarnama Bureau : Lionel Messi, the Argentine football superstar, during his India tour visited Vantara, a wildlife rescue and conservation centre in Gujarat’s Jamnagar, and had a blast playing football with Maneklal, a baby elephant. The heartwarming moment was captured on video and has gone viral on Instagram, showing Messi kicking a ball inside the elephant enclosure as Maneklal gently nudges it back with its leg.
The clip was shred on Instagram by @ambani_update and was captioned “When football meets its biggest fan aa Messi plays ball with Maneklal at Vantara.”
Furthermore, as a token of appreciation, Anant Ambani and his wife Radhika Merchant named a lion cub ‘Lionel’ in Messi’s honour. The Argentine legend was welcomed to Vantara with traditional Hindu rituals and interacted closely with the animals, including tigers, elephants and reptiles.
ccording to ANI, citing a statement from Vantara, “At the Foster Care Centre, dedicated to orphaned and vulnerable young animals, Messi learned about their journeys of resilience.
Messi’s visit to Vantara was part of his India tour, which included stops in Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi.
Summary:
During his visit to Jamnagar, Gujarat, football superstar Lionel Messi met a local man affectionately dubbed his ‘match,’ Maneklal, due to their striking resemblance. The adorable encounter quickly went viral on social media, delighting fans and generating widespread online buzz