After WC victory, Divya Deshmukh learns to deal with overnight stardom

Divya Deshmukh starts chuckling as she talks about her ‘Messi moment’ in Batumi.

- Amit Kamath

In the heady hours after she became the FIDE Women’s World Cup champion, simultaneously sealing her Grandmaster title in one shot and securing a spot at the Women’s Candidates event, she was briefly confronted with a problem: how to pose with her trophy for Instagram.

Then, Lionel Messi came up with an assist: Divya remembered three photos the Argentine legend had posted snuggling the World Cup Trophy in bed that garnered over 50 million likes. It’s a photo that has been recreated by multiple athletes like Spanish footballer Jenni Hermoso after winning the FIFA World Cup. “I saw this picture long ago from Messi. So yeah, it was definitely inspired by Messi,” Divya said. “I also wanted to click one while I was sleeping next to the trophy. But unfortunately, I was so tired, I just fell asleep.”