Sourav Ganguly to play football with Diego Maradona in a Charity match in India

What’s the story?

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly is all set to play a charity football match with Argentine legend Diego Maradona on October 2 in Kolkata. It will be called the ‘Match for Unity.’ This will be the FIFA World Cup winning footballer’s second trip to India.

“It is such an honour for me to be able to make this trip. Kolkata is a very special place and I have good memories from my trip there many years ago, the fans were fantastic,” the 56-year-old Maradona said.

The former football player will visit Kolkata in September, just before the Durga Puja commences. He will also be felicitated by the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee.

“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,” he added.

In case you didn’t know...

The last time Maradona visited India was in December 2008, thousands of football fans welcomed him with jubilation as soon as he landed in Kolkata. Ganguly, who is a huge football fan and owner of Indian Super League team ATK (formerly Atlético de Kolkata), has always had a vested interest in the sport.

The details

Former India hockey captain Dhanraj Pillay, Bengali actor, Abir Chatterjee and cricketers Manoj Tiwary and Deep Dasgupta will also play the match alongside Ganguly and Maradona. Former Indian footballers like Prasun Banerjee, Carlton Chapman and Dipendu Biswas have also given their confirmation for the same.

Satadru Dutta, the promoter of Maradona’s event, revealed that the match will aim to put Maradona in the spotlight. The match will not be a standard 11v11 tie and might alter the traditional football rules a little bit, not that many will be complaining though considering the Golden Boy will feature in the game.

What’s next?

Maradona’s visit to the country and his subsequent match with Ganguly is sure to excite all the football as well as cricket fans in the country. The ex-Argentine footballer will also train young football talents in a special workshop that will be conducted by him.

He will also inaugurate age-old, leading Durga pandals of Kolkata.

Author’s take

It is heartwarming to see former sportsmen taking the time to promote integration of cultures as well as take part in the honing of upcoming sporting talents across the world. Maradona’s trip to India and Ganguly’s active participation in it is sure to garner interest from all sporting quarters in the country.