Analysing all 6 teams in the Premier Futsal League

The inaugural edition of the Premier Futsal League will kick off very soon in Chennai, with all the 6 teams looking to put their best foot forward in their quest to achieve glory.

With the franchises now decided, major international football stars such as Barcelona legend Ronaldinho, Manchester United legends Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, Argentinean stalwart Hernan Crespo and Real Madrid legend Michel Salgado have joined as marquee players and will be entertaining crowds in India.

They will be joined by the best futsal player of all-time, Alessandro Vieira, more commonly known as Falcao, in the tournament as he brings his extraordinary skill set to the league.

We take a look at the 6 teams who will be part of the Premier Futsal League and what their strengths and weaknesses could be –

Chennai 5s

The Chennai franchise is owned by The Hindu group and will be managed by the legendary Ney Pereira, who has won the Best Manager in the world award twice, for the excellent performance of his Brazil teams.

With such a strong coaching staff, the team is already at an advantage compared to its rivals. Chennai have Falcao joining them as their marquee player, giving them a huge push in their attempt to become the first champions.

Falcao is arguably the world’s best futsal player of all-time, having won the Best Player of the World award four times, and has won the Golden Ball twice for his performances at the 2004 and 2008 World Cup tournaments.

Called the Pele of futsal, Falcao’s presence in the team will serve as great inspiration. Romulo is their defensive talisman, with the Russian finishing runner-up at the UEFA Futsal Euro 2016. Known for his interceptions and his booming shots, he will be a huge threat to the opposition, making Chennai look the most well-rounded team in the league.

The team also have five Indian players, whose presence in the team will help get the home crowd going. The team from Chennai also have freestyler Sean Garnier in their team, and his presence will surely attract a lot of crowd in the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor stadium.

Bengaluru 5s

Owned by the moviestar Puneeth Rajkumar, the Bengaluru team will be looking to prove their credentials and show how good they are on the field.

Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes is their marquee player, and crowds will throng to the stadium to watch him play. Scholes’ ability to pick out the perfect pass and hit crunching long-rangers will be very useful in futsal, and can help his team a lot.

The team from the Garden City will also have a very strong goalkeeper in the form of Elias, the Argentinean having been awarded the Best Goalkeeper in the World award twice. Neto will be marshalling the defence for the team from Bengaluru, with his rugged style of defending and ability to score crucial goals making him a great asset.

Another player who will help them tremendously is Maxi, with the Argentine’s versatility his best quality, something which coach Juan Jose Bernal Cierre will look to utilize.

Mumbai 5s

The team from the Maximum City, Mumbai have one of the more versatile squads in the tournament and will be coached by Italian Felice Mastropierro, who is an experienced coach in the Italian futsal scene.

Renowned car designer Dilip Chhabria is the owner of the team, and will have former Manchester United assistant coach and legendary footballer, Ryan Giggs, as their marquee player.

The Welsh winger has won 13 Premier League titles, 4 FA Cup trophies and 2 Champions League medals. He will bring his bag of tricks and flashy wing-play to the Premier Futsal League.

Giggs will be joined by Luis Amado, one of the most decorated futsal players in history, having won the Best Goalkeeper of 2003-04 season, apart from winning 5 UEFA Futsal Championships and 2 World Championships.

Brazilian-born Italian, Foglia, will probably be the most crucial member of the Mumbai team, with his strength and exceptional technique making him one of the toughest opponents for defenders. He won the Best Futsal Player in the World award in 2003, and is a goal machine.

Kochi 5s

Owned by Yes Events Management, Dubai, the Kerala franchise will be coached by Sergio Sapo. Real Madrid legend Michel Salgado will be the team’s marquee player and will marshall their defence.

Chaguinha will add guile and skill to the midfield and will help create chances for their team. The presence of Gekabert and Deives Moraes will help the team attack swiftly.

The Indians in the team could potentially spring a surprise, and Casalone in goal provides them with a strong presence to ward off the opposition's goal threat.

Kolkata 5s

The City of Joy, also thought of as India’s football capital, will be led by marquee signing Hernan Crespo. The Argentine marksman is lethal in front of goal, having scored 271 goals in 608 games, an average of almost a goal every other game.

At one point of time, Crespo was the most expensive player in the world, having signed for Lazio from Parma for £35.5m in 2000. His team consists of classy Brazilian goalkeeper Cidao, who has been voted Best Goalkeeper in Spain thrice and Best Goalkeeper in Brazil twice during his league career.

The team also contains stalwarts of futsal like Gabriel and Pula, both of whom will be key to their team’s hopes of playing a smooth, attacking brand of futsal. Owned by Grassroot Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, the Kolkata outfit could go under the radar and will definitely challenge the other teams for the title.

Goa 5s

The team that will get the most crowd support at both venues, the Goan outfit is owned by Viiking Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd and boasts of one of the most loved football players ever in the world, Ronaldinho.

The Brazilian magician, who enjoyed great success with Barcelona, will be spearheading the challenge of the franchise, and will look to dazzle the fans with his tricks, stepovers and brilliant dribbling.

With Portuguese international goalkeeper Bebe in the team, the goal will be a daunting proposition for their opponents. Vampeta's presence in the starting line-up will add a lot of cut and thrust to the Goa franchise, with his combination with Ronaldinho a prospective treat.

With the semi-finals and finals scheduled to be held in Goa, the team will look to make the most of home support and ensure they have a deep run in the tournament.