Futsal legend Falcao urges UAE residents to stay safe

Falcao, classified as the best player in the history of futsal, has become the latest name to join Dubai Sports Council’s ‘Be Fit, Be Safe’ campaign. The unique campaign was launched by Dubai Sports Council earlier this month to encourage members of the community to exercise at home following the precautionary closure of gymasiums as part of the plan in combating the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

The former player of the Brazilian national team has urged the residents of Dubai and UAE to stay at home, be safe through a video message.

The 42-year-old was adjudged Best Player of the Tournament in the 2004 and 2008 editions of the FIFA Futsal World Cups and also helped the A Selecao win their fourth and fifth World Cups in 2008 and 2012.

Falcao, has played at four FIFA Futsal World Cups, notching up 38 goals in 25 matches in the tournament.

The 5’9’ striker has notched up 697 career appearances, all of them in Brazil, and has close to 1000 goals scored domestically. Besides scoring 339 goals in 201 appearances for the Brazil national futsal team, he has been voted as the Globe’s best futsal player a record four times.

Now retired, the futsal legend has a trophy cabinet most football stars would be envious of, winning a variety of tournaments, from Malaysia to Brazil via Kuwait.

The Brazilians are seemingly the most street-styled footballers precisely because of futsal. Be it Neymar or Ronaldinho, Brazilians get their samba flair by practicing futsal during their formative years.

He is the latest sporting celebrity to add weight to the Dubai Sports Council’s (DSC) ‘Be Fit, Be Safe’ campaign.

Walter Zenga, the former goalkeeper of the Italian national football team and Inter Milan club, also urged the UAE residents to stay home and follow the government guidelines.

“This is a really difficult moment and we need to take care of us and others as well. So stay at home and try to be fit while you are at home. Let us all say, ‘Be Fit and Be Safe’. Take care.”

The Dubai Sports Council’s initiative has received widespread support from the community, with experts from the fitness industry and world’s top soccer stars taking part alongside many others, including mums and dads, and school kids of different nationalities, who have been sharing some truly innovative home workout videos.

Earlier, Carles Puyol, former star of the Spanish national football team, Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs, former Spain international Michel Salgado and rising Portuguese star Joao Felix joined some of football’s biggest names in supporting DSC’s ‘Be Fit, Be Safe’ campaign, urging Emiratis and UAE’s expatriates to heed the country’s authorities and stay home, and stay healthy. Last week, former football greats Luis Figo of Portugal, Brazil’s Roberto Carlos and Frenchman Nicolas Anelka were among the first to back the campaign, releasing a video message for their fans in Dubai and UAE.

Italian Pierluigi Collina, one of the best known football referees, and former France internationals Eric Abidal and Mikael Silvestre have also backed the campaign since and now Giggs and Felix have lent their voice to the campaign, along with former Spain and Real Madrid defender Salgado, through a video message to their friends and fans in the UAE.

Felix, who plays for Atletico Madrid in Spain, last year received the Best Revelation Player award from Sheikh Mansoor Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Chairman of Dubai Sports Council, at December’s Dubai Globe Soccer Awards.

Salgado, who is a long-time Dubai resident and has been a strong supporter of DSC’s efforts to promote grassroots football in the UAE, said the best way to fight COVID 19 was to stay safe and stay healthy.

As part of the campaign, DSC has also linked up with some of the leading brands from UAE’s fitness industry to offer free daily virtual fitness classes, led by certified fitness trainers.