DOHA: MotoGP icon Valentino Rossi and his team of VR46 Academy riders yesterday played a game of football against FC Barcelona legend ‘Xavi’ at the Aspire Academy.
Motorcycle racing may be their first love but Rossi and his VR46 Academy riders all enjoy a good game of football, especially after a day riding at Rossi’s ranch.
“It was a lot of fun and I have always admired Xavi because he plays with his head up,” Rossi said.
Xavi also expressed his admiration for the decorated Italian.
“Valentino played very well on the pitch – the only thing missing was his helmet,” joked the Al Sadd SC midfielder and adviser to Aspire Academy.
Usually they play friendly matches against each other, but before the Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar they faced a formidable opponent: FC Barcelona legend ‘Xavi’ Hernandez.
‘Xavi’ and Rossi both have a proud and long history in their sports, Xavi was the first player in FC Barcelona history to play in 150 internationals while Valentino Rossi continues to re-write the record books.
From 1998 to 2015 the midfielder scored 58 goals for Barcelona, during that same period Rossi scored 100 wins across the 250cc, 500cc and MotoGP classes. This was not their first encounter however, Rossi and Xavi had met before at the Catalan GP back in 2011 with Rossi showing his reverence for the footballer. But now it was time for Rossi to step into Xavi’s world.
The pair took to the pitch together, Rossi supported by the likes of Nicolo Bulega, Niccolo Antonelli, Lorenzo Baldassarri, Franco Morbidelli, Luca Marini, Romano Fenati, Andrea Migno and Francesco Bagnaia while Xavi was joined by the Aspire Academy team and former Espanyol player Sergio Garcia, who recently won the Qatar Stars League with Al Rayyan.
A seven-aside format was played with two 10-minute halves.
Kick off was followed by a goal for the Aspire Academy squad, the team backing it up with another point soon after. The Aspire Academy team took a clear lead as a shot from the half way line made it three to nothing just ahead of half time.
During the second half the VR46 squad stepped up their defence and with the help of Xavi joining their side, were able to close the score to 3-2 as full time approached.
The final whistle blew with the Aspire Academy taking victory 3-2.
Rossi said: “As a football lover, getting the opportunity to play against a great player as Xavi Hernandez is something very special. I told my team to do their best and really go for it, but there was little we could do against such a line-up.”
Xavi said: “Sharing an experience like this with a motorcycling legend like Valentino Rossi is unique. I’m proud to take part in a game like this against him and his team and I have to admit they were really into it and playing for the win, not just training.” The Peninsula
