Former Portuguese captain Luis Figo was in Goa yesterday for the finale of the inaugural Youth Champions League as a special guest and the YCL’s brand ambassador. The highlight was a match in the evening in which Luis Figo led a Goa XI in a friendly match against an India XI which was led by Churchill Brothers‘ Brazilian playmaker Roberto Mendes Silva. Both teams mainly consisted of selected youth players from the Youth Champions League, while the Goa XI was strengthened by the addition of Indian internationals Denzil Franco, Lenny Rodrigues and Steven Benedic Dias besides Dharmaraj Ravanan, who all play for Churchill Brothers plus other players from I-League sides.
The organisers will be disappointed that only around 5,000 spectators turned-up to see Luis Figo in match action as many claimed the tickets were priced too high. Still the Portuguese maestro did not disappoint as he scored a goal in his teams 4-1 victory against the India XI, while also getting a couple of assists.
Luis Figo showed glimpses of what made him one of the best footballers of his generation, an evening which all who played in the match will surely cherish.
