Team Herald
PANJIM: Premier Futsal, world’s first multi-national futsal tournament will kick-start with Chennai 5’s taking on Mumbai 5’s in the inaugural match, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai, on Friday.
Two legends Falcao and Ryan Giggs will surely light up Chennai tonight however in Goa all eyes will be on the Brazilian Jogador Ronaldinho, Goa’s marquee player when they take Hernan Crespo’s Kolkata 5s in the next match.
Playing alongside the samba boy will be three local Goan lads Michael Silva, Caitano Fernandes aka Caitu and Fredsan Marshall who were scouted from the Premier Futsal launchpad programme in early June.
The rolling substitutions in futsal will only increase the chances of all the Goan players to get some match time and play alongside the legends of the game.
The three Goan players who were part of a boot camp for weeks in Chennai wherein they were trained by international futsal coaching staff are ready and raring to go.
Fredsan Marshall, a product of the Brasil Futebol Academia (BFA), said, “It is a dream come true to train alongside Ronaldinho, a player whom I have idolized all my life.”
“During my days at BFA I always used to dream of meeting Ronaldinho as we had a coach who had worked with him, now I’ll be sharing the same dressing room with him in Premier Futsal, it is a dream come true,” added Fredson.
Canacona lad Caitano Fernandes aka Caitu who played for Vasco Sports Club last season sounded delighted with the news of Ronaldinho as the marquee player for Goa and is looking for a long term association with the sport.
“Premier Futsal will allow me hone my skills as I will be rubbing shoulders with legends of the game, representing Goa 5’s and playing alongside Ronaldinho is unbelievable. I look forward to a long term association with the sport,” said Caitu.
Michael Silva, South Goa boy, who emerged from the famed Salgaocar Football Club youth programme, is overjoyed to be playing alongside some of the legends of the game.
“I’m thrilled that Ronaldinho is the marquee player for Goa 5’s among all the legends. He has always been an inspiration and things he did on the football field were breathtaking. It will be an amazing experience just to be among the legends in Premier Futsal,” said Silva.
Goa is surely in for a futsal extravaganza as the legends of the game will be coming to Goa next week for the second round followed by the semi-finals and final. Ronaldinho is expected to arrive in Goa on July 18.
Ronaldinho will be part of Goa 5s franchise owned by Sachin Joshi’s Viking Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd for two seasons. The first edition of the league will see six franchises divided in two groups to battle it out over eight match days and 13 matches to make it to the final which will be played in Goa, at the Peddem Sports Complex, Mapusa on July 24.
