Barely five days remain before Lionel Messi lands in the city for the second time after 14 years.
As he heads towards the Salt Lake Stadium for the first of his programmes lined up on Saturday, fans at the venue will have reason for more cheer. Messi is set to be accompanied by Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan as well as former India cricket captain and current Cricket Association of Bengal president Sourav Ganguly during his programme at the stadium.
“Both Sourav and Shah Rukh will be there with Messi at the Salt Lake Stadium,” Satadru Dutta, organiser of Messi’s tour of India and the Argentina captain’s programmes, confirmed on Sunday. “Messi will be at the stadium for around an hour and 10 minutes. He will also be a part of the clinic where he will teach the kids the Rondo style of football.”
Rondo, popular in FC Barcelona, especially during Messi’s time at the Catalan club, is a training drill where a group of players in a circle or square tries to maintain possession by passing the ball, while a smaller group of defenders tries to win it back.
It helps in quick decision-making, first touch, teamwork and positional play.