Ronaldinho dream for Manning, daCosta Cup players
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Eight schoolboy footballers will get the opportunity to share the field with Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho when the football icon visits Jamaica for the Magic of Ronaldinho Tour from December 3-7.
Patrons will also have a chance to win more than $300,000 through a sponsored penalty shoot-out. The announcement was made during the tour’s launch on Tuesday at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel.
The former Brazilian star will visit the island to be honoured at a tribute dinner hosted by the Jamaican Government on December 4. He and the Ronaldinho All-Stars will then honour the Reggae Boyz’ historic 1998 World Cup team in a football match at the National Stadium on December 6.
A major feature of the event will see four players from the All-Manning team and four from the All-daCosta team selected from the All-Manning versus All-daCosta match, which will serve as the curtain-raiser to Ronaldinho and Friends versus the Reggae Boyz ‘98.
Four of the selected players will join the Ronaldinho All-Stars for the final 15 minutes, while the other four will represent the Reggae Boyz ‘98 side during the closing stages of the match.
Chairman of the organising committee Robert Dabdoub said it should be a memorable experience for the eight players selected to take the field with the Brazilian maestro.
“The big feature we have is All-Manning versus All-daCosta. The special feature is that ISSA is going to select four players from each team at the end of the match. Two attackers and two defenders.
“Those players from each team, one set will play the last 15 minute with the Ronaldinho team and the other four will play 15 minutes with the Jamaica team and I think it will be a fantastic experience for them,” he stated.
ISSA President Keith Wellington said the young players stand to benefit immensely from the opportunity.
“Ronaldinho provides that opportunity for all his fans and fans of the game to feel good about themselves, when they see him play.
“We are really happy for our students; our footballers will be able to participate in this event, and we ask everyone to come out and support not just Ronaldinho, but the youngsters who will share the stage with them,” he commented.
Dabdoub also revealed there will be major surprises for both the Brazilian star and the Reggae Boyz legends at the tribute dinner on December 4.
Though he declined to disclose details, he hinted that some of the surprises would have a musical flavour.
However, he insisted that anyone still harbouring doubts about Ronaldinho’s visit to Jamaica can now put those concerns to rest.
“People are asking, is he really coming? Ronaldinho is a reality. He is coming. It’s a dream we have been working on for three years. It was very hard, but we went for him and he will be here,” he stated.
Ronaldinho and Friends will include former Brazilian captain Emerson and Caribbean stars such as Russell Latapy.
Meanwhile, organising committee coordinator John Isaacs said all of the fan favourites from Jamaica’s 1998 World Cup squad are expected to attend.
Tickets are available online at aitix.app. Bleacher tickets cost $2,000, with pre-sold tickets available for $1,500 and student tickets at $1,200. Grandstand tickets cost $8,000, with early-bird purchases available for $7,000. VIP tickets are priced at $11,000, while cycle track tickets cost $14,000.
Admission to the tribute dinner costs US$250, while VIP access is priced at US$450. Early purchasers, however, can secure tickets for US$200 and US$400 for VIP access.