By Ananya Sharma 
Hyderabad, December 2: The floodlights were still on at the MCRHRD Institute grounds when most of Hyderabad had already begun winding down on Monday. Out of the darkness came Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, dressed not in starched whites or the usual political attire, but in a football kit that made him blend in with a bunch of young players waiting on the turf. PTI, as carried by Rediff, said he trained for about forty five minutes. Watching the clips online, it felt like even that number might be a conservative estimate.
He didn’t stroll or pose. He moved with the kind of urgency you usually see in college tournaments, constantly adjusting, tossing quick instructions, sometimes losing balance, sometimes recovering awkwardly. The drills which The2States described as a mix of passing, running and small tactical movements looked routine, but the fact that they were happening at that hour added a strange intensity to the evening. The floodlights made everything harsher, more honest.
People watching from the sidelines said it was one of those moments where you forget you’re looking at a Chief Minister. Just a man trying to keep up with faster, younger legs.
The Upcoming Match Everyone Already Has An Opinion About
All this late-night effort is for the 13 December exhibition match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal, where Lionel Messi will lead Team LM10 against the Chief Minister’s Team RR9. According to NDTV Sports, Revanth Reddy will play in the number nine jersey. It’s not every day that a head of government picks a striker’s number and steps onto a football field with cameras ready to broadcast every stumble.
The match is part of the government’s second anniversary showcase, tied to the larger Telangana Rising Vision 2047 announcement. In past years, administrations might have chosen concerts or long ceremonial events for such milestones. This government has decided that football and Messi, no less makes a stronger impression.
The idea worked. Hyderabad’s chatter has already moved beyond politics into football speculation, memes, and a sort of curious affection for the spectacle. It is rare to see an event cross so many social groups at once.
Where Politics Meets Performance And Not So Quietly
There is no denying the political choreography here. When a Chief Minister willingly exposes himself to the unpredictability of sport especially beside someone like Messi the message is intentional. It suggests openness, youthfulness, a touch of bravado. It also adds the possibility of embarrassment, which is exactly why the internet is already sharpening its edges.
Yet the government seems comfortable with that risk. Telangana wants to be seen as confident enough to place itself in high-visibility frames. If Messi pulls crowds from across the region, the Chief Minister standing on the same field adds a kind of soft power the state has been chasing for a while.
But you can sense another intention underneath all the showmanship: to make the event feel less like a top-heavy political celebration and more like something the public can claim ownership of.
Government School Students In The Squad: A Small Decision With Big Meaning
A detail carried by M9 News caught people’s attention. The state plans to involve students from government schools in Team RR9. Just imagine being sixteen, wearing a kit that still feels slightly oversized, and suddenly finding yourself on a pitch where Messi is warming up ten yards away. Even if the match is friendly, that memory will never fade.
Officials say the selection process is underway. Coaches have been asked to identify young players who can handle the pressure, though the list isn’t out yet. It feels like the government is using the event to say something about opportunity, especially for students who don’t usually find themselves anywhere near such global spotlights.
If handled carefully, this single decision could end up being the soul of the entire event.
The Messi Factor And The City’s Growing Appetite For Global Attention
Messi’s name alone is enough to alter the contours of a week in Hyderabad. Even those who don’t follow football know what it means when he steps onto a field. Telangana seems fully aware of the magnitude of that presence, using it to push the idea that the state is ready for global-scale cultural moments.
Officials are tight-lipped, but security preparations for his arrival are already underway. Protocol teams are reportedly coordinating at multiple levels. None of this is unusual, but the attention around it makes every small update feel bigger than it is.
Hyderabad thrives on moments like these not because the city lacks big events, but because it rarely gets to host something that blends glamour, sport and political theatre all at once.
Revanth Reddy’s Training Clips Have The City Watching Closely
Perhaps the biggest surprise has been the Chief Minister’s commitment to actually training. Not walking through drills, not taking penalty kicks for cameras, but genuinely trying to look like someone preparing for a real match. At one point in the video, he misjudges a pass and lightly scolds himself. It’s a small thing, but it feels sincere.
These kinds of rough edges the imperfect footwork, the slightly uneven running pattern, the effortful moments are what made the practice session feel believable. And that’s probably why the clips spread quickly. People respond to leaders who look human, even if just for a night under floodlights.
Of course, the risk remains. A strained muscle, an awkward fall, even a flat performance during the match any of it could dominate news cycles. But then again, politics without risk rarely produces memorable images.
Hyderabad, Preparing In Its Own Way
Inside the stadium, groundwork has begun. Turf checks, access reviews, layout adjustments nothing too dramatic yet, but enough to remind you that the event is nearly here. The staff knows this is no ordinary exhibition. Messi-level crowds behave differently, with more excitement, more unpredictability.
Around the city, the conversation has shifted from curiosity to amusement to cautious pride. Some supporters cheer the Chief Minister’s enthusiasm, critics dismiss it as performance, and a large group simply wants to see Messi touch the ball in their city. For once, political lines don’t determine who cares about the event.
A Match That Could Leave A Mark On Telangana’s Cultural Story
Strip everything away and the match is still just an evening of football. But it’s also much more than that in the way it is unfolding. Telangana is trying to define its identity in a crowded national landscape, and this event with all its noise, ambition and mild absurdity has somehow captured public imagination better than any formal celebration would have.
If the match goes smoothly, it will become one of those reference points the state pulls out in future conversations about confidence and cultural reach. If anything falters, critics will seize the moment. Either way, it already feels like something significant is brewing in Hyderabad.
For now, Revanth Reddy keeps training, chasing the ball under hard white lights, preparing for a match that has grown far beyond the chalk boundaries of a football field.
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- Ananya Sharmahttps://hindustanherald.in/author/ananya/
- Ananya Sharmahttps://hindustanherald.in/author/ananya/
- Ananya Sharmahttps://hindustanherald.in/author/ananya/
- Ananya Sharmahttps://hindustanherald.in/author/ananya/
