Legendary Spain and Barcelona superstar Carles Puyol will visit Karachi on Saturday to promote football and kick off ticket sales for World Soccer Stars 2019. “Karachi, I look forward to seeing you all and I am really excited to meet all my fans in Pakistan,” Puyol was quoted as saying in a press release issued by the organisers on Tuesday. “World Soccer Stars presents a great opportunity to celebrate the arrival of football and from what I know football is the next emerging sport in Pakistan.” A project of TouchSky Group, World Soccer Stars 2019 is the moniker of two exhibition matches that will be staged on April 27 and 28 in Karachi and Lahore respectively featuring some of the biggest names of world football. The matches would also feature a concert by American-Senegalese singer Akon.
“It’s a real privilege to see the bedrock of FC Barcelona defence in Pakistan and we are proud to see him as the official face to kick off World Soccer Stars tour,” said Ahmer Kunwar, the TouchSky Group CEO. Fans would get to interact with Puyol at Dolmen Mall in Karachi, where he is expected to launch a special edition of VR headsets bearing his signatures.
“It’s a huge achievement to have Carles Puyol in Pakistan as I know how much FC Barcelona is followed across the country. He has played with Messi, Iniesta and Xavi which shows that World Soccer Stars is reaching its climax,” Robert Head of TouchSky Group added. Puyol is a retired professional footballer who spent his entire career with his boyhood FC Barcelona. He is regarded as one of the best defenders of his generation.
He was referred to as the “wall” by his teammates due to his strength, commanding air presence, commitment and ruggedness. The versatile defender could play on either flank but stamped his mark globally as a centre-back. The TouchSky Group brought legendary footballers Ricardo Kaka and Luis Figo to Pakistan in January, and also set up Nicolas Anelka’s meeting with Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) president Syed Ashfaq Shah last week.
Published in Daily Times, March 13th 2019.