Champions League: "I'd like to play Luis Suarez because I have teeth like him," says Farhan Akhtar as he takes the 'Road to Madrid'

I’m not a fan of work-texts. On a Sunday afternoon. While you’re in the middle of an intense game of FIFA Ultimate Team. But this one wasn’t too bad.

“Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN) invites you to kick off the ‘Road to Madrid’ fever for UEFA Champions League with Farhan Akhtar, UEFA’s Official Guest from India and Rajesh Kaul, Head - Sports, SPN.

Date: 6th May 2019 (Monday)

Time: 12 PM onwards

Venue: Grand Salon, Grand Hyatt, Santacruz East.

By Invitation Only.”

Invitation accepted.

Bollywood star and football fan, Farhan Akhtar has been selected as UEFA’s official invitee for the Champions League Final set to be held on 1st June in the majestic Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid.

A press release from Sony stated that the actor has been an instrumental medium to bring the stories of sportsmen to the big screens with his choice of projects like ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ and ‘Toofan’, which makes him an ideal contender for an off-screen sports collaboration with the world’s biggest club football league.

Fair enough.

And when Farhan came on stage to talk to the gathered press, you could see a genuine sense of excitement for the ticket he was about to receive. And a genuine sense of envy from fans gathered around.

Jokes aside, Farhan should do a fine job of forwarding the beautiful game as he posts about his journey to his vast social media following.

After a little discussion, the head of sports business at SPN India, Rajesh Kaul was asked to hand Farhan his ticket to the final, to which the actor quite instinctively said, “I love Mr. Kaul.”

“I am supremely thrilled to be associated with the UEFA Champions League. I’ve been a football aficionado since a very young age. It’s been one of my dreams to watch a CL Final for many years now. And it’s finally coming true now, so that’s one more thing off my bucket list. It’s football of the highest standard. It’s like a carnival.”

Farhan picked Barcelona as the clear favourites to qualify for the final in Madrid, and on that note, he was asked if there was a footballer he’d like to play on the silver screen.

“I think from the current lot it’d be Luis Suarez considering I slightly have teeth like him.”

That answer did bring about a few giggles amongst those in the hall. Giorgio Chiellini most certainly was not one of them.

Luis Suarez bit off more than he could chew during the FIFA World Cup 2014

The Bollywood actor and singer went on to talk about the importance of sport, he said, "I’ve always felt that sport is a very important part of personal development. Not only physically, it makes you mentally stronger.

“It encourages teamwork if you’re playing a team sport. And it teaches you how to deal with success, how to deal with loss, how to re-motivate yourself and further your goals. So there are a lot of life lessons that you can learn through sport.”

He can act, he can sing, he can direct a fine, fine film that inspires me to go to Goa almost every summer. But how’s Farhan Akhtar on the football field? He mentions his knack for attacking as he said, ”I always wanted to score goals so I wanted to play forward. More on the wing.”

We also learned about Akhtar’s loyalties in football as he stated, “I am a Man City supporter, so you can imagine I’m dealing with a lot of pain at the moment.” That quarterfinal sure had City fans VARy distraught.

But all’s well that ends with a final’s ticket to Madrid. Like any and every football fan would be, Farhan Akhtar is overjoyed to be heading to one of football’s biggest events.

“Oh my God, I can’t wait. I have a feeling that no matter what I imagine it’s going to be like, it’s going to surpass my expectations.

"A couple of years ago I came really close to watching the final between the two Madrid sides. Unfortunately, my shoot schedule didn’t let that happen. But this year, that dream finally comes true and I am really looking forward to it.”

Farhan Akhtar knows how to write a good script. And the Champions League Final sure does too. June 1st can’t come soon enough.