Kolkata: In what comes as a great news for Indian football fans, as many as five legends from across the world of football, namely, Carlos Valderrama, Fernando Morientes, Marcel Desailly, Jorge Campos and Emmanuel Amuneke will kick-off the Mumbai leg of the FIFA U-17 World Cup Trophy Experience on September 6 to mark the, “30 days to go” untill the start of the first FIFA tournament in India.
The legends are also expected to take part in an exhibition match at the DY Patel stadium in Navi Mumbai, to celebrate the success of hosting the biggest football tournament in India’s history.
Colombian legend Carlos Valderrama said, “The FIFA U-17 World Cup in India will be a milestone in the history of football. I look forward to joining the Trophy Experience, which will bring the excitement of this landmark event even closer to Indian fans.”
There are great expectations in Colombia ahead of the first participation of our team since Nigeria 2009,” he added. Valderrama also known as ‘El Pibe’ is regarded as one of the best Colombian and South American footballer of all time. He has led his country in three editions of the prestigious World Cup, in a career that spanned for more than three decades.
Fernando Morientes, a former Spanish legend participated two times at the FIFA World Cup. He has won three UEFA Champions League trophies with Real Madrid and also numerous other trophies with other top European clubs like Liverpool, Monaco and Valencia.
Defender Marcel Desailly was part of the French side that won the 1998 FIFA World Cup and the Euro 2000. He went on to captain Les Bleus to two FIFA Confederations Cup titles in 2001 and 2003 and is also a two time Champions League winner.
Jorge Campos is a retired Mexican footballer, who played both as a goalkeeper and a striker. He revolutionised the art of goalkeeping and was Mexico’s undisputed first-choice custodian in successive editions of the FIFA World Cup – USA 1994 and France 1998.
Emmanuel Amuneke, a former Nigeria international, is also an Olympic gold medalist in 1996. He took up coaching after his football career, and has led the Golden Eaglets to glory at the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2015 in Chile.
Having already witnessed the likes of Carlos Puyol, Esteban Cambiasso and Nwankwo Kanu leading up to the World Cup, Indian fans are set to have a time gala as they would witness the biggest stars step into the country, to promote the game in India.
With U-17 World Cup set to begin on the 6th of October, the trophy experience will only attract more audience to the game and help in making the tournament a huge success in India. India take on USA in Delhi while Turkey face New Zealand in the opening day of the tournament.
Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, on Monday, launched the host city logo for Kochi, one of the venues for the FIFA U – 17 World Cup.