MUMBAI CITY FC co-owner Ranbir Kapoor recently faced the camera to answer a series of questions about his experiences as a football fan and journey as a team owner in the ISL. A long time Barcelona fan, he was asked who he would pick between Barcelona and Mumbai City. Visibly in a dilemma, Ranbir took his time to arrive at the answer,
"Ah... it's like choosing my mother or father. But I would have to say... Mumbai City Football Club."
He confessed to being an avid Messi fan and said that seeing the Argentinian maestro control the ball in his artistic, unpredictable is the most thrilling footballing spectable he has ever witnessed.
Asked about the best footballer to watch out for, he picked 25 year old Mumbai City winger Subhash Singh,
"I would say Subhash Singh. I think he had a decent year last year. But I think he will prove himself this time."
Hailing from Manipur, Subhash has made his name playing for East Bengal, Pune FC and Shillong Lajong in the past, and played for Bharat FC in I-League 2014-15. He joined Mohun Bagan in the summer. Playing for Mumbai City in the inaugural ISL, he made 12 appearances and scored one goal.
Armed with a new attacking line up that features Anelka, Sunil Chhetri, Sony Norde and Frédéric Piquionne, Ranbir is not shy of calling Mumbai City the clear favourites in the upcoming ISL. Asked who he expects to be his team's biggest rivals, the Bollywood superstar replied,
"Ourselves. I think if you just stay focused and if you just wanna have fun and, you know, play quality football which I believe that we will, I don't think we have a strong opposing force."
As for his favourite moment from last year's ISL, Ranbir picked one where his team was at the receiving end: the first ever goal in the ISL, scored by Atletico de Kolkata's Fikru Teffera at the Salt Lake Stadium,
"That was quite exciting, to be in the stadium, the first game of the ISL, and such a spectacular goal against Mumbai City. That was really an awesome moment to be part of."
In his message to fans, Ranbir said it was time to take Indian football to the next level,
"It's an exciting time for all of us football fans... it's time to grow the fanbase, grow the love for the sport, and really encourage this country to be best at this also."
Ranbir is also known for spending his weekends playing football with many fellow actors, and when asked who was the best footballer in Bollywood, he answered thusly, You can catch the entire video here:
"In my most humble opinion... myself."
You can catch the entire video here:
Ranbir Kapoor's favourite #HeroISL 2014 moment didn't feature @MumbaiCityFC. Watch to find out what it was instead! https://t.co/dlsJcY7VOy
— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) August 20, 2015