Ronaldinho to visit Mumbai on Friday

New Delhi, Jul 12: Former FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldinho will visit India on Friday (July 14) and explore his future with Premier Futsal, a variation of football played indoors.

The World Cup-winning Brazilian football great, a Ballon d'Or winner, will be in Mumbai where he will make an announcement regarding Premier Futsal.

Ronaldinho was forced to quit Premier Futsal last year after just two matches. He returned to his homeland as 'Brand Ambassador' for the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro after scoring five goals on his debut for the Goa franchise against Paul Scholes's Bangalore 5's.

On his upcoming visit to India, Ronaldinho said, "My association with Premier Futsal has been a fruitful one. It was a great experience to be in India and play in front of local crowds last year and I look forward to another warm welcome from this sports loving country."

Ronaldinho joined the likes of Premier Futsal president and Portuguese legend Luis Figo, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Hernan Crespo and Cafu to make the opening season of Premier Futsal a star-studded one.

Unfortunately, the 37-year-old former Barcelona star had to withdraw from the event when he was getting in his groove.

Ronaldinho, a member of the 2002 World Cup-winning squad when he produced a stunning free-kick goal against England, was in Pakistan recently alongside England's Giggs. They were in Pakistan along with five other international players to participate in exhibition matches in Lahore and Karachi.

Ronaldinho, who retired from professional football after a stint with Brazilian club Fluminense in 2015, showed he lost none of his skills and wowed the crowd in the inaugural Premier Futsal event in India.

Premier Futsal is the world's largest futsal promotions company bringing football legends, futsal superstars and home-grown talent on one platform.

PTI