Over 4,000 roaring spectators saw Portugal Icons beating the GBA Flying Dragon 11-4 during the “In Celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Macao SAR: SJM Five-a-side Football Friendly: Portugal Icons vs. GBA Flying Dragon” that took place at the Macau East Asian Games Dome in Cotai yesterday afternoon.
Presented by SJM Resorts, S.A., the event was held in collaboration with Macau’s Sports Bureau (ID), with the support of the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) and the Macao Football Association.
The Portugal Icons featured legendary Portuguese footballers including Luis Figo, Tiago,
Bosingwa, Maniche, Nuno Gomes, Pauleta, Hélder Postiga, among others, while the GBA Flying Dragon comprised players from the Greater Bay Area and the Hong Kong Star Football Team.
“Macau has always been a place that reminds me of home, with its deep Portuguese roots. We knew about the passion for football here,” said Figo, captain of the Portugal Icons. He added, “[We] would like to congratulate our wonderful opponents, the GBA Flying Dragon, who showed heart and skill in equal measure in an enjoyable game.”
SJM Managing Director Daisy Ho said: “Football is a universal language that transcends boundaries. This friendly match was a success on both sporting and cultural levels …. We are hearened by the raucous reception of our fans which goes on to show how showpiece events can serve as a platform to reinforce Macau’s burgeoning status as a ‘City of Sports’ for international visitors.”
Meanwhile, SJM held a football camp a day earlier, in conjunction with yesterday’s much-anticipated friendly match.
The “Legends of Tomorrow – Football Camp” was held at the Olympic Sports Centre – Miniature Football Field, with technical support provided by the Macao Football Association.
Some 50 young football enthusiasts from the Macao Football Youth Academy received firsthand coaching from the football greats, including Figo, Ricardo Quaresma, Vitor Baía, Pauleta, Dimas, Bosingwa, Ricardo Carvalho, Tiago, Nuno Gomes, Maniche, and Hélder Postiga. The camp concluded with an autograph and photo session with these professional footballers, according to an SJM press release.
One of the young participants, surnamed Chan, said, “I’ve always seen them on TV, so meeting them in person is like a dream. They’re super friendly too.”
Another one, surnamed Lei, pointed out, “Seeing Figo show us moves right in front of me and guides me on my football skills was awesome. I learned some cool tricks and now I can’t wait to try them out in my next game.” (Gilbert Humphrey)
Photos: SJM
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