Romario Angelo Topno (third from left) watches Sunday’s match with his All-Star teammates

Calcutta’s best schoolboy footballer of 2014 experienced his finest moment last Friday when the Indian Super League bestowed on him the mantle of marquee player Luis Garcia.

Romario Angelo Topno, adjudged the Most Valuable Player at the Keventer Cup inter-school championship in July, was not only chosen to wear the Atletico de Kolkata star’s jersey but also play in his position during a television dress rehearsal for the ISL inauguration on Sunday.

The 14-year-old, who studies in Class IX at St. Xavier’s Collegiate School, recounts to Metro his closest encounter with international stars of the game and the chance to be one of them for a match.

I have lived a dream ever since I learnt that the All-Star XI that I am part of had been chosen to participate in the ISL dress rehearsal at the Salt Lake stadium on Friday. I had gone to the venue excited about just playing the match, little knowing that bigger surprises were in store.

On entering the stadium, we came to know that the Atletico de Kolkata players would be practising in front of us. I watched them wide-eyed from the sidelines, especially Luis Garcia. They were so fast and received and released balls so expertly that just watching the drill was an education.

Atletico seemed to be focusing on their defence during the practice. The team had divided themselves into two groups. At one end of the ground, four attackers played a practice game against four defenders, while at the other end the rest of the players practised set pieces.

After the session got over, we were given a set of yellow jerseys with the names of Atletico players written on the back. I, would you believe it, got Garcia’s jersey because we play in the same position!

We stood in the players’ tunnel holding the hands of the kids who would escort us to the ground, just like in a big match. As we marched to the ground, fireworks started and the ISL theme song played in the background. We then stood in line to sing the national anthem, shook hands with our opponents and posed for a group picture. It may have been just a dress rehearsal for the TV crew but I was convinced I was representing Atletico!

The sad part is that I couldn’t lead my team to victory. It was a tough match and we lost 0-1 to the junior team of Southern Samity (that plays in the Calcutta Football League). After the match, the TV crew interviewed me about the match we had lost as part of the drill. Thankfully, the real Garcia didn’t have to answer the same set of questions on Sunday.

On Saturday, we returned to the stadium, this time for a partial rehearsal that didn’t include playing. We were in the tunnel when the entire Mumbai City FC squad appeared for a training session. I couldn’t believe my eyes that (Frenchman) Nicolas Anelka was in front of me. Indeed, I still can’t believe that I shook hands with Anelka and watched him practise!

If being part of the ISL dress rehearsal left me overwhelmed as a footballer, I was speechless on Sunday as a spectator and a football lover. Honestly, the opening ceremony and the inaugural match made for a spectacle I hadn’t seen before. I didn’t expect such a huge crowd for the match either. It was really good to see the beautiful game finally getting the attention it deserves.

Since I have never been to the Eden Gardens for an IPL match, I had no idea how entertaining and colourful the ambience could be inside a stadium on an occasion like this.

The best part of the experience was the high-quality football. All three Atletico goals were world-class. The first and third goal might have looked easier but the finishing on both occasions was exemplary. And I have no words to describe Borja Fernandez’s goal. I was amazed by his accuracy — he was so sure it was going in that he started celebrating even before the ball landed on the net. Truly fantastic!

I also must mention Garcia. Though he didn’t score, he showed his class. Some of his passes and a couple of crosses in the second half proved he hasn’t lost his touch.

The ISL has already made young players like me believe that if we play our game properly, one day we will also get to rub shoulders with the likes of Garcia and Borja. I am really happy for Indian football. I am sure the sleeping giant will wake up very soon.