Brazilian Soccer Legend Pele Returns to India for the First Time in Nearly 40 Years
Ambassadorial Trip to Include Visits to Kolkata and New Delhi
NEW YORK, Sept. 7, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- It was announced today by Legends 10, global agent to Pele, that the world's greatest soccer player of all time will be making the journey to India next month to connect with dignitaries, youth and fans. Pele's last visit was in 1977 with former club New York Cosmos, when they played in a 2-2 draw against Mohun Bagan in Kolkata, featuring Indian football greats such as Shyam Thapa, Pradip Chowdhury, Subrata Bhattacharya, Sudhir Karmakar and Prasun Banerjee.
This trip comes just under a year to the start of the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, where Pele has been declared a national treasure since 1961. One Ballon d'Or Prix d'Honneur, three World Cup trophies and 1,283 career goals later, the King of Football continues to travel the world to this day, to promote the country and the sport that made him famous. Just this year alone, he has made visits to the United States, Equatorial Guinea, Spain, England, Australia, China, Chile, Malaysia and Cuba.
During Pele's weeklong stay in India (October 11-17), he will travel first to Kolkata on behalf of the Multicon Group and then onto New Delhi - for his first trip ever to the nation's capital - on behalf of the Indian Air Force.
While in Kolkata, he will meet with students and educators from NSHM Knowledge Campus, participate in a conversation with India's top cricketing legend and former captain Sourav Ganguly (moderated by the country's leading sports journalist Boria Majumdar), as well as attend a gala dinner, which will include a charity sports memorabilia auction. He will also be the guest of honor at an Atletico de Kolkata football match, the team's first home match of the Indian Super League season. Any charitable funds raised during Pele's visit to Kolkata will benefit the Chief Minister's Relief Fund of West Bengal.
While in New Delhi, he will be a part of various activities surrounding the 2015 Subroto Cup, the largest youth football tournament in Asia that reaches 600,000 children throughout India. The annual event involves schools from around the world and this year will feature over 100 teams from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, South Korea, Sweden, Ukraine, Brazil and many more. Last year, Brazilian club Fluminense won the U17 boys division. In addition, Brazilian club Santos FC, where Pele spent his childhood and nearly two decades of his career, will also be participating in this year's edition of the tournament.
"It is such an honor for me to be able to make this trip. India is a very special country and I have good memories from my time there many years ago, the fans were fantastic," says Pele. "India is a very passionate football nation, and I look forward to meeting a whole new generation of fans while continuing to spread the overwhelming love that I have for this beautiful game."
For more information, please contact: Theresa Tran, [email protected]
SOURCE Legends 10
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