Luis Figo to play for Goa?

Luis Figo, one of the greatest wingers to play the game finally lands at Dabolim airport, Goa. Yes, you heard it right, he is already in India.

Aged 40, he is famous for his amazing dribbling technique and lethal free-kicks and played for clubs including Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter, and is regarded as one of Portugal’s greatest alongside the legendary Eusébio.

Apparently, he will captaining the Goa XI squad against India XI in a friendly today at the Nehru stadium in Fatord, and also make his presence felt in the Youth Champions League (YCL), a football festival being organized in Goa. The event will have a total of 2500 participants from 15 states in the country along with a few international teams.

“We have tentatively decided to name the home team as Figo Goa XI. He will play for a minimum of 20 minutes, although the exact duration of the match is still being worked out,” said a spokesperson from the Mumbai-based Red9 Events.

Meanwhile, his visit to India is more than just a money-making campaign, although he is being paid Rs 1.05 crore for his visit.

“Figo wants to know more about Indian football and has called for a meeting with the All India Football Federation officials. He will also be meeting I-League club owners from Goa during an official dinner on Thursday,” said Henal Pandya, PR head of the Youth Champions League, the company responsible for getting him to Goa as reported by TOI.

He added: “We really cannot say if Figo is willing to help Indian football, or where this meeting will lead us to. But the fact that he wants to meet high-profile football officials from India is encouraging.”