The 'Pele' of Futsal arrives

Alessandro Rosa Vieira or more commonly known as Falcao is a star in his own ranks. Dubbed as the Pele of futsal, Falcao is here on a mission -- to spread futsal to the untouched territory of India.

“I want to take futsal to India. I am here to play (the game) and show what futsal is all about,” he said on the sidelines of the launch of a nation-wide futsal talent hunt programme.

The three-time World Futsal Player of the Year is the brand ambassador of Premier Futsal League, a first-of-its-kind futsal league that will see a number of acclaimed futsallers participate in a 12-day-long league. And Falcao can’t wait to enthrall the Indians with his skills.

“I am very happy to be chosen as the brand ambassador. But now that I am here, I would like my game to do the talking. I will also be helping in bringing a handful of well known futsallers across the world for the competition,” he continued describing his role.

Having penned a five-year-long deal with the league, Falcao wants to take the game to the kids and help it develop from the grassroots. “The most important target is to develop the game here so that people in India know what futsal is all about.

“But for this, I want to take the game to the kids in schools and academies so seven years down the line, India can have a great futsal player of international standard,” he said.

In the past, there have been a number of footballing superstars who have attributed their success in the longer version of the game to futsal. Be it Neymar, Kaka, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho or even Zico, all believe that their time on the futsal court have helped them in developing into the player that the world know them as. “No doubt about that, it does play a major role,” asserted Falcao describing the importance of futsal in moulding a player.

“Spain is a great example. Spanish football’s landscape changed and it started to grow once they changed the way the team trained and adopted the futsal style. Futsal is much faster and quicker, so you need to be on your toes always. It’s full of tricks and though it’s just 20-minute a half, it’s much more demanding than football,” added the two-time FIFA Futsal World Cup winner.

Though the Brazilian great is expected to have very little competition when he takes to the court in the league come July, Falcao believes that this is more of an opportunity for him to help the players around him develop their game.

“I don’t know what to expect. But we’re clear on the goal we have set, to develop the game in the country. We also want to help the Indian players grow and match the level that is needed on the international stage. So that’s something I will be concentrating on,” he stressed.