Brazilian great Pele is not the only football star scheduled to touch down in Kolkata. Indian Super League team Atletico de Kolkata's co-owner Sourav Ganguly claims that England superstar Wayne Rooney will also be visiting the city later this year as part of a promotional campaign for the ISL.
The former India cricket captain said the 29-year-old England captain is coming as part of the second edition of the franchise-based tournament, which kicks off in Chennai on October 3.
"Rooney will be coming here as part of the ISL, so it will not just be about Pele," the former left-handed batsman said in Kolkata, on Thursday.
Ganguly has already shot a promotional video for the ISL earlier this week and, according to reports, Rooney is part of that ISL promotional campaign and is likely to visit Kolkata in November.
The ISL's tournament organisers were not available for a comment on the development, while another source rubbished the report.
"It's a rumour. How can Rooney come? England are supposed to play two friendlies (against Spain on November 13 and France on November 17)," he said of the striker who recently went past Sir Bobby Charlton's tally of 49 England goals.
However, the Manchester United striker does not have any club commitment during this period and it remains to be seen whether the city will have a tryst with another football icon.
Pele, it was announced by his agent, will be arriving in Kolkata on a three-day visit from October 11 and will be the guest of honour at ATK's first home match in the second season of ISL, against Kerala Blasters, the following day, at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan in Salt Lake.
Pele's visit will mark his return to the city 38 years after he played an exhibition match for Cosmos against Mohun Bagan.
In the recent past, the football-mad city hosted greats like Diego Maradona, Karl- Heinz Rummenigge, Lionel Messi, Oliver Kahn, Diego Forlan and Gerd Muller among others.
