THE BLOG BY CPD FOOTBALL | The World of Indian football and beyond by Chris Punnakkattu Daniel

Liverpool FC Legends have a ball in India’s financial capital Mumbai

Liverpool FC legends Robbie Fowler and Luis Garcia in Mumbai, India as part of LFC World. (Photo courtesy: Liverpool FC)

Effortlessly juggling a ball wearing Kolhapuri slippers, putting decades worth of football knowledge into a two-hour training session with local underprivileged children and attending a fan screening of Sundays’ Merseyside derby – these are just some of the highlights of the Liverpool FC Legends visit to India for LFC World last week.

Luis García, Robbie Fowler, Sami Hyypiä and Vladimír Šmicer were in Mumbai from December 7 to 10 for LFC World presented by Standard Chartered. The quartet met with fans, visited the historic Gateway of India, took part in a 5-A-Side tournament with fans, conducted soccer clinics for local children and trained with young kids of The Little League NGO during their stay in the city. They also joined fans in cheering on the team during Sunday’s draw between Liverpool and Everton at a local venue.

LFC Legend Luis García is not only considered an Anfield great, but is also well known in India, where he won the inaugural edition of the Indian Super League with Atletico de Kolkata (now ATK) in 2014. The former Red and FC Barcelona attacker was gifted a pair of traditional Maharashtrian footwear by a local fan as he gave away signed jerseys to the large crowd singing his name.

Former Reds Defender, Hyypiä was overjoyed by the warm reception from Indian fans, commenting, “It is always amazing when I come to Asia. There are so many passionate fans here and it was great to be in Mumbai and meet some of our incredible fans.”

LFC World is a three-day event that engages LFC fans of all ages and provides exciting activities and opportunities to meet former LFC players. Last season the fan experience visited Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and Shanghai meeting thousands of fans along the way.