Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov played in a friendly football match between the Legends of Barcelona and the Legends of Asia on August 30 at the D. Omurzakov stadium in Bishkek, Turanews.kz reports citing Kyrgyz Kabar Agency.
The match was held as part of the opening of the first football academy of the Barcelona club in Central Asia. The academy is located in the city of Jalal-Abad.
The Legends of Barcelona team featured former players such as Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Carles Puyol, and Javier Saviola. The Legends of Asia team included Japarov, as well as Hidetoshi Nakata, Samat Smakov, Andrey Kanchelskis, Mirjalol Kasymov, Mukhsin Mukhammadiev, and Amandurdy Annadurdyev.
Japarov played in the first half of the match and helped create several scoring chances for his team. However, the Legends of Barcelona won the match 3-0.
After the match, Japarov said that he was happy to have the opportunity to play with some of the greatest footballers in the world. He also said that he was impressed with the new football academy and that he was confident that it would help to develop football in Kyrgyzstan.
The match was also attended by the president of the Barcelona football club, Joan Laporta. Laporta said that he was pleased to see the opening of the new academy and that he was confident that it would help to promote football in Central Asia.
