"His presence will surely elevate the experience"
Gary Neville will visit India to appear in the finale of Manchester United’s flagship grassroots football programme ‘United We Play’.
Regarded as one of the Premier League’s most accomplished defenders, Neville will appear at the fourth edition of the programme, which will be hosted in Chandigarh on October 18, 2024.
Gary Neville spent nearly 20 years at Manchester United and made 602 appearances for his boyhood club.
During his club career, he won eight Premier League titles and two Champions Leagues among many other honours.
Neville also made 85 appearances for England.
The United We Play programme is a grassroots football initiative to encourage global football talent by giving them a platform to showcase their skills.
It hopes to motivate aspiring footballers to continue playing and introduce them to global training methodologies.
The fourth edition of the programme was launched in Kolkata in December 2023 by Louis Saha.
It reached 18 Indian cities and over 15,000 young footballers.
Over 100 coaches were engaged through virtual Manchester United Soccer Schools training sessions, ensuring that the teachings and training methods reached to every footballer involved in the programme.
The initiative was also expanded to more cities in the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions across cities such as Kathmandu, Bangkok, Dhaka and Duba
Apollo Tyres is sponsoring the United We Play programme.
Rajesh Dahiya, Vice President, Commercial, India and SAARC at Apollo Tyres Ltd spoke about Gary Neville’s arrival to India.
He said: “We are thrilled and honoured to welcome a player of the stature of Gary Neville to India.
“His presence will surely elevate the experience for young budding footballers who will be a part of the United We Play finals in Chandigarh, inspiring young athletes with his illustrious journey in the sport and offering insights into his storied career.”
??? ????? ????? ?? @apollotyres brings football legend Gary Neville to Chandigarh for the ultimate #UnitedWePlay FINALE! ?
Brace yourselves for a day of performance, and unstoppable energy on 18th October 2024! #ApolloTyres #ManchesterUnited #GoTheDistance pic.twitter.com/KgpnuwDcUT
— Apollo X Sports (@ApolloXSports) October 10, 2024
Since retiring from football, Gary Neville has ventured into commentary and punditry. He also hosts the podcast Stick to Football.
Neville previously managed Valencia CF, however, his stint did not last long.
In 2016, rumours circulated that he may become the coach of Indian Super League (ISL) side Delhi Dynamos.
The rumours emerged after football agent Baljit Rihal shared an update on social media.
Baljit, believed to have been closely associated with a lot of high-profile transfers in the ISL, was the same person who had mentioned that Chelsea icon Didier Drogba could be moving to Atletico de Kolkata. However, any such move did not happen in the end.