What’s the story?
Brazilian football legend and former FIFA player of the year Ronaldinho Gaucho is set to visit India on Friday to reveal his plans and future with Premier Futsal. The World Cup-winning Brazilian star will be in Mumbai tomorrow to make an announcement on Premier Futsal. Ronaldinho also termed India as a sports-loving country as he said that he is looking forward to his trip to India. He further added that his association with Premier Futsal has been a great affair and his experience of playing in front of Indian crowd was amazing too. Football lovers from Mumbai are all set to give another warm welcome to the maestro.
The context
Last year, Ronaldinho started off with a bang as he scored five goals for Goa 5’s against Paul Scholes Bengaluru 5’s. Unfortunately, he had to leave Premier Futsal after two matches and go back to Rio de Janeiro. He was the Brand-Ambassador of Paralympic Games which took place in Rio last year. Ronaldinho joined hands with some of the greatest players like Paul Scholes, Luis Figo, Ryan Giggs, Hernan Crespo and Cafu to make the Premier Futsal a grand success in India last season. It indeed was a star-studded one and became a grand success.
The heart of the matter
Ronaldinho had to quit last year which didn’t go down well with his fans and his team as he was starting to get into his groove. Ronaldinho rose to fame in 2002 World Cup when he took that amazing free-kick against England. The former Barca star was in Pakistan recently alongside Ryan Giggs and some other international stars to participate in exhibition small-sided matches in Lahore & Karachi. Ronaldinho hung his boots in 2015 as he announced retirement from professional football after a stint with Brazilian club Fluminense. Yet, he showcased his skills last year and mesmerised the Indian crowd during the first edition of Premier Futsal.
What’s next?
Premier Futsal 2017 will kick into action pretty soon as the popular futsal league tries to make inroads into the football-loving population of India. The second season promises to be more entertaining and with Ronaldinho all but set to return, season two is sure to be a big hit.
Author’s take
Premier Futsal was a great success last year. The way Ronaldinho started was a treat for fans. It was truly disappointing for the fans as he had to leave early. His Mumbai visit on Friday will surely enlighten us about his thoughts on futsal in India. Since India is having a tide in football at the moment, Ronaldinho’s visit will surely boost the momentum.
