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NorthStar youth walk onto field with Lionel Messi at World Cup match
Six North Omaha children received a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity through a partnership with Football for the World
OMAHA, Neb. —
NorthStar youth experienced a moment most soccer fans only dream about when they walked onto the field before the Argentina vs. Switzerland World Cup match in Kansas City.
Through a partnership between NorthStar and Football for the World, six children from the North Omaha youth development nonprofit were selected to take part in the pregame ceremony.
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One of those children, Habib, was paired with Lionel Messi and walked onto the field alongside the Argentine superstar.
“It was very loud, and I was very nervous and excited at the same time,” Habib said.
He also described meeting Messi in the locker room and tunnel area before kickoff.
Habib’s brother said watching the moment unfold was “an unexplainable feeling” and added that not many people get to experience something like that.
Joe Makovich, executive director of Football for the World, said opportunities like this are about more than soccer.
“Every soccer fan remembers their first World Cup,” Makovich said. “It brings so much joy.”
For Habib’s family, the memory became even more emotional when they watched the video back home.
His brother said their mother was shocked and began crying and screaming when she saw her son walking onto the field with Messi.
