Area soccer fans might not witness an injured Cristiano Ronaldo strutting bare-chested across Ohio Stadium on July 27, but there's a strong chance European super teams like Real Madrid will return to Columbus in coming years.

Area soccer fans might not witness an injured Cristiano Ronaldo strutting bare-chested across Ohio Stadium on July 27, but there�s a strong chance European super teams like Real Madrid will return to Columbus in coming years.



An organizer for the match featuring Real Madrid and Paris St. Germain said that ticket sales are approaching 70,000 and promoters plan to bring other big games to Ohio State�s campus.



Charlie Stillitano, chairman of Relevent Sports, said his group has been impressed with the pre-sale numbers and the commitment from OSU officials. The game is part of the International Championship Cup, a preseason tournament for 16 prestigious European club teams being contested on four continents.



Columbus landed one of the tourney�s bigger draws -- Real Madrid, the reigning European champion and most valuable sports franchise in the world (estimated worth: $3.26 billion), according to Forbes. The only down side is Ronaldo, among the game�s greatest players, likely will miss the match because of a knee injury suffered Sunday while representing victorious Portugal in Euro Cup 2016 in France.



The absence of the flamboyant forward, known for stripping off his top after goals to expose his sculpted abs, could hurt the walk-up crowd. Tickets range from $35 to $275-plus. Stillitano and OSU executive associate athletic director Xen Riggs are still predicting 80,000 for game night.



Whether that many people actually attend a midweek match remains to be seen. Stillitano, however, is sold on the Columbus market and the OSU delegation, which made a strong pitch to host a game. He wants to bring future contests to the Horseshoe.



�I don�t even want to say wait and see,� Stillitano said. �I want to tell you Ohio State University really wants these events there, and we want to make sure we keep bringing them there.�



Riggs said that Ohio State would �love� to host an annual game. The ICC tournament is in its fourth season.



An OSU contingent traveled to New York in November to make its case for a game. The group did its homework and knew Relevent Sports co-founder Stephen Ross is a University of Michigan alum and major donor. They pitched the idea of staging matches in Columbus and Ann Arbor a few days apart so fans could travel between the cities.



Sure enough, Real Madrid will play Chelsea on July 30 in the Big House.



Stillitano said about 100,000 tickets have been sold for the Ann Arbor game, which benefits from a weekend date and more well-known English opponent. Real Madrid drew 109,318 fans for a 2014 game against Manchester United. That marked a record crowd for an American soccer game.

treed@dispatch.com

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