Mumbai: Former Manchester United star Paul Scholes has signed a deal to play for the next three seasons of Premier Futsal, the world's first-ever multi-national futsal league.
Premier Futsal is a private and semi-professional Futsal league promoted by Xavier Britto of Indev Group.
Scholes is one of those rare English footballers who played their entire professional careers at a single club.
He is one of the most decorated footballers of England and is one of the most successful players in English club football.
Scholes has won a total of 25 trophies, featuring 11 Premier League titles and two Champions League trophies during his stint with the Red Devils.
Scholes, part of Manchester United's class of 92 – the famous golden generation which included stars like David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and the Neville Brothers - is widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of modern football. He boasts a staggering 718 caps for Manchester United over an illustrious career spanning 22 years.
Scholes said, "Futsal is a fascinating format that has played a pivotal role in developing the skills of some of the greatest football players. I have seen Futsal grow not just back home, but also across the world and I have played in a few of those tournaments. Premier Futsal will be a great way to introduce the sport to India and I'm looking forward to meeting the fans across India who I know are some of the most passionate in the world."
Scholes becomes the second of the eight marquee players who will be a part of Premier Futsal starting July 15.
Former Portuguese star Deco was announced earlier this month.
Players will be allotted teams through a player draft which is slated to take place later this month.
Premier Futsal co-founder Nithyashree Subban said, "We are extremely proud to announce Paul Scholes as marquee player for Premier Futsal. Since our launch, we have maintained that we are committed to bringing the top talent from across the world to India and we are clearly delivering on our promise.
"Dinesh, Abhinandan and I were inspired by the Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's call for innovation in the field of entrepreneurship. Through a pioneering model for introducing Futsal and a holistic approach to breed home grown talent, Premier Futsal aims to be the marquee all star futsal tournament in the world."
