"In the end the Brazilian did actually play to the delight of 60,000 fans but, almost half a century later, there was perhaps even more excitement, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi set to appear on the subcontinent in the space of a month. This time, though, any doomsayer would be correct. Ronaldo didn't come in October and Messi will not in November. Without getting into that debate, Ronaldo's absence"
"is more painful simply because he was due to play in a competitive fixture, by some distance the biggest name ever to appear in a real game on Indian soil. August's draw for the AFC Champions League Two put Al-Nassr in the same group as FC Goa, where the hotel for the visitors reserved the presidential suite for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner for the 22 October game. To host Al-Nassr isn't just about a match it's arguably the biggest"
"game in Indian club football history, the Goa CEO, Ravi Puskur, told the Guardian in August. It's the culmination of years of hard work and dedication to growing the game in Goa. Our fans, our players, and everyone involved with the club get to experience something extraordinary, something that will be remembered for generations. Goa's coach, Manolo Marquez, remarked at the pre-match conference that usually there were one or two journalists. This time there were close to 100 applications from"
"various media. There was huge demand for tickets too. About 11,000 had been sold with thousands of others going in what was described as a craze for complimentary passes. On gameday itself, the stadium's VIP section was, according to the Times of India, overcrowded with relatives and friends of people in power' forcing their way and occupying seats, without tickets. In the end, they saw Goa give a great account of themselves before losing 2-1 to a team that featured Sadio"
In 1977 an astrologer predicted Pele would fall ill and miss a Santos exhibition in Kolkata, but Pele played to 60,000 fans. Nearly fifty years later Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were scheduled to visit India within a month, but Ronaldo missed the October trip and Messi will not arrive in November. Ronaldo's absence was particularly painful because he was due to play competitively for Al-Nassr against FC Goa in the AFC Champions League Two; the visitors reserved the presidential suite for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner for the 22 October game. Goa's CEO described hosting Al-Nassr as arguably the biggest match in Indian club football history. Media interest and ticket demand surged, VIP areas became overcrowded, and Goa ultimately lost 2-1 to a team that featured Sadio Man
Read at www.theguardian.com
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