football

Updated: May 12, 2017 10:20 IST

The FIFA U-17 World Cup is less than five months away and the All Indian Football Federation (AIFF) is pulling out all the stops to make it a grand spectacle. In a bid to add more celebrity power to the tournament, the AIFF has contacted Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and if the talks are fruitful, the Portuguese forward will attend the FIFA U-17 World Cup draw in Mumbai on July 7.

Speaking on the matter, AIFF President Praful Patel said: “We are talking to Portugal Football Federation. We also are trying to interact with Ronaldo’s agent. If he is free on that particular day, he will be gracing the FIFA U-17 World Cup draw function in Mumbai on July 7.”

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The organisers have already confirmed that World Cup winner Carlos Puyol will visit India this month to mark the launch of ticket sales for FIFA U-17 World Cup, scheduled in India October. But, Cristiano Ronaldo’s visit can elevate the tournament to a whole new level among the Indian football fans.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s club season with Real Madrid will end on June 4 when they take on Juventus in the UEFA Champions League final. From there, he will be travelling to Russia for the Confederation Cup 2017, which starts on the June 17 and ends on July 2.

Last week, Ronaldo became the first ever sportsperson to reach 100 million followers on Instagram. To mark the occasion, he went live on the social networking site to address his fans.

The Portuguese star even mentioned some countries he would like to visit on the video and while answered an Indian fan’s question, he said, “India is a place that I wanna go soon (sic).”

The FIFA Under-17 World Cup kicks off on the October 6 and the final will be held in Kolkata on October 28. As hosts, India will feature in the 24-team event, which will be the first time an Indian team will participate in a FIFA tournament.