Rio de Janeiro will host the Legends World Cup
The city of Rio de Janeiro is preparing to host the first edition of the World Legends Cup, a tournament that will bring together 160 legendary figures from football from eight countries. Among the confirmed stars are iconic names such as the Brazilian Romário, the Spaniard Carles Puyol, the Argentinian Sergio Agüero, and the Frenchman Thierry Henry. This event, whose upcoming editions are already destined for Saudi Arabia, China, and the United States, seeks to be a meeting point between generations, allowing young people to meet their idols and older fans to relive unforgettable moments.It won’t just be an exhibition. It will also be a competition and the players who have already accepted the invitation have said they are very excited to compete again and for the possibility of competing for a world title.
Nasr Jawid Buyadi, founder and president of the World Legends Cup.
Although the exact date is yet to be defined, the tournament is expected to be held in the second half of the year. The qualifying matches will be played at the Nilton Santos stadium, while the final will take place at the iconic Maracanã.
The participating teams in this inaugural edition will be:- Argentina, captained by Sergio Agüero and managed by Gabriel Batistuta.
- Brazil, led by Cafu and with Zico as coach.
- Spain, with Carles Puyol as captain and Fernando Hierro as strategist.
- France, with Thierry Henry as captain and Patrick Vieira as coach.
- Italy, captained by Gianluigi Buffon and coached by Paolo Maldini.
- Netherlands, with Clarence Seedorf on the field and Ruud Gullit on the bench.
- Saudi Arabia, whose captain will be Yasser Al-Qahtani and the coach Majed Abdullah.
- Nigeria, led by Nwankwo Kanu and with Khalilou Fadiga on the bench.
In the World Cup presentation, in addition to Seedorf, Javier Saviola, Alessandro Nesta, Emerson and Athirson, among other figures, were present. According to Seedorf, the organizers have contacted about 120 former soccer players, who have shown great interest in participating. The definitive date of the event will be announced soon.It’s very special for those of us who have already played football to have the opportunity to play in a World Cup like this. I am very happy to be one of the Brazilians who will have the opportunity to return to the field to do what I like most, which is to play football, especially in my city and at the Maracanã.
Romário
