Football has been on a constant rise in India over the past few years. Although the national team has not made great leaps, the level of interest in the beautiful game has been gradually increased. With the Indian Super League (ISL), there has been a significant inflow of reputed names in football like David James, Diego Forlan, Adrian Mutu, etc. who have featured for various ISL clubs.
Stars from yesteryear such as Pele and Diego Maradona have made visits to the country drawing huge numbers of crowds each time. Thanks to Puma, come the 25th of October, India will have yet another superstar making a visit – former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry.
Henry is one of the most celebrated strikers the English Premier League (EPL) has seen since its inception. The Frenchman plied his trade for Arsenal from the 1999/2000 season to the 2006/07 season. In the eight seasons he was with the North London club, Henry scored a phenomenal 226 goals in 369 appearances.
Having represented Monaco and Juventus before joining Arsenal, Henry went on to play for Barcelona and New York Red Bulls, which also included a short loan stint with the Gunners before calling it quits in 2014. Henry was immense for both club and country as his numbers speak for themselves – 411 goals scored in 915 matches.
The Frenchman has been signed with Puma since his time with the New York Red Bulls in 2011. Considering Henry’s reputation in the footballing world, it is only understandable that the German apparel giants would sign him up. His past performances on the pitch as well as his sense of style off the pitch are something that resonates with Puma’s principles.
Henry to watch an ISL match
Henry is scheduled to be in India for two days, spending October 25 in Kolkata and October 26 in Mumbai.
The former Arsenal and France captain will first make a visit to the Puma store in Kolkata for a showcase of Puma’s football boots, evoSPEED. Henry will be doing this along with Puma athlete and Indian National Football Team striker, Robin Singh. The athletes will have an interaction session with each other regarding their antics on and off the pitch over their respective careers.
Following this, Henry will make his appearance at a football stadium in India when he will be up in stands to watch the ISL game between Atletico de Kolkata and Mumbai City FC. Henry is expected to meet the players from both the teams before kick-off in addition to awarding the “Man of the Match” award at the end of the match.
Fans get a chance to meet the legendary striker
The next day, in Mumbai, Henry will start the day with an interactive session with the fans, where he’ll be answering questions from fans who can ask him questions via social media. This whole segment will be telecast on the Star Sports network.
This will then be followed by the main event, where he 39-year-old Frenchman will be at the NSCI Stadium in Mumbai for a fan activation campaign. The people assembled at the NSCI will be able to witness a 5-a-side football match in an indoor stadium.
Knowing the following that Henry garners in India, all the events are expected to attract a huge number of fans with Puma looking to take advantage of this fact and organize a total Thierry Henry experience in both Kolkata and Mumbai.
The entry to NSCI is FREE for all fans! All you have to do is go to your nearest PUMA store and get a pass to this once in a lifetime event!
