Ronaldinho is visiting Kolkata for the first time
From inaugurating Durga Puja pandals to trying his hand at cooking to beating a lawmaker to score a goal, Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho's day out in Kolkata was full of surprises.
The football sensation is on his first-ever visit to the City of Joy, where the craze for football matches -- and often exceeds -- that of cricket. Earlier, Kolkata has hosted football legends Diego Maradona, Pele and Lionel Messi.
The star of the 2002 football world cup landed in Kolkata day before yesterday. A huge crowd had gathered at the airport to welcome their favourite player. Ronaldinho was welcomed by West Bengal minister Sujit Bose.
Dressed in shorts, a loose t-shirt and his signature cap, the 43-year-old football legend was greeted with cheers everywhere he went.
He started the day by inaugurating a football academy at Rajarhat near Kolkata. The R10 Academy will train young footballer under a course designed by the football star.
Hundreds of kids had gathered at the academy and their patience was rewarded when Ronaldinho put on display his magical dribbling skills that the audience had only seen on TV screens.
Ronaldinho's next stop was the Sreebhumi Sporting Club puja pandal in Kolkata's Lake Town. He was in for a pleasant surprise when he was welcomed with a tilak on the forehead. He inaugurated the pandal and also joined in a dance with his fans who waved Brazil flags. That was not all. The football legend was invited to take a shot at a football net guarded by Bengal minister Bose, chief organiser of the Sreebhumi sporting Club puja and a sports enthusiast. Ronaldinho scored.
The football legend then paid tribute at a statue of Maradona in the city. The next destination was the home of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kalighat. The Chief Minister welcomed him with a shawl and presented him a football. Also present there were representatives from the city's renowned football clubs Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting. The clubs gifted Ronaldinho their jerseys. He also attended a trophy unveiling ceremony of the Indian Football Association.
The football sensation then inaugurated two more Durga Puja pandals in Kollkata outskirts Narendrapur and Baruipur. At Baruipur, a fan touched Ronaldinho's feet to welcome him. He was also handed footballs that he kicked into the crowd to loud cheers.
Ronaldinho then attended an Emami event, where he had a short tryst with cooking. The photo of the day came next, when he posed with a bottle of mustard oil in one hand and a delighful Hilsa fish in the other.
On the second day of his two-day trip, Ronaldinho will be playing an exhibition match at Maheshtala near Kolkata. The city's football fans' excitement shows Durga Puja has arrived early for them.