Valderrama, Morientes to visit India during U-17 World Cup trophy tour

FIFA legends Carlos Valderrama, Fernando Morientes, Marcel Desailly, Jorge Campos and Emmanuel Amuneke will join the U-17 World Cup Trophy experience on September 6 to mark '30 days to go' until the start of the first FIFA tournament in the country, a statement said.

Earlier, Spain's World Cup winning skipper Carles Puyol, former Argentina midfielder Esteban Cambiasso and Nigerian forward Nwankwo Kanu were part of the U-17 World Cup draw here.

The legends will take part in the Mumbai leg of the trophy experience and will play in an exhibition match at the D.Y. Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai to celebrate the start of the tournament.

An iconic star of Colombian and South American football, Valderrama, "El Pibe", played in three editions of the World Cup in a decorated career spanning more than two decades.

Morientes featured in two editions of the World Cup for Spain and is fondly remembered for his three UEFA Champions League trophies with Real Madrid.

Desailly was part of the French side that won the 1998 FIFA World Cup and went on to captain Les Bleus to two Confederations Cup titles in 2001 and 2003, winning numerous other trophies along the way.

Striker-turned-goalkeeper Campos revolutionised the art of goalkeeping and was Mexico's undisputed first-choice custodian in successive editions of the World Cup -- US (1994) and France (1998).

A former Nigeria international at the 1994 FIFA World Cup and Olympic gold medallist in 1996, Amuneke began a successful coaching career that saw him leading the Golden Eaglets to glory at the U-17 World Cup 2015 in Chile.

"The FIFA U-17 World Cup in India will be a milestone in the history of football. I look forward to joining the Trophy Experience, which will bring the excitement of this landmark event even closer to Indian fans."

"There are great expectations in Colombia ahead of the first participation of our team since Nigeria 2009," Valderrama said.

The trophy experience will witness the official winner's trophy of the U-17 World Cup visit all the six host cities, giving millions of Indians the chance to be part of the football festival.

The final of the tournament will be played at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on October 28.

--IANS

dm/tri/bg