My India trip was very emotional, says Andre Villas-Boas | Football News – Times of India

PANAJI: For Andre Villas-Boas, India was a different world. Villas-Boas is the former manager of a group of blue-chip football clubs around the world — Porto, Chelsea, Tottenham, Zenit St Petersburg, Marseille. At 33, he grabbed the world’s attention after an unbeaten season with FC Porto, in which he won a treble, which includes
the Europa League in 2011.
Eleven years after his most famous triumph, the Portuguese coach found himself in India on a unique mission. He was here as part of the Laureus-supported Slum Soccer programme and the time he spent with kids in the slums of Delhi left a lasting impression.
“The trip to India was very emotional,” Villas-Boas told TOI in a telephonic interview. “It was my first time in the country, and thanks to Laureus, I got to know of Slum Soccer project. The trip was short and intense. We went to work in one of the slums where Slum Soccer operates and the 55 minutes that we were together, playing football inside a 16-yard space, were memorable. The smile on the children’s faces said it all; they were full of joy, gratitude, all after a simple moment of playing football.”
Slum Soccer uses football as a tool to change lives of the underprivileged all over the country. They are now one of five inspirational sports for development organisations on the Laureus Sport for Good Award shortlist.
“The nomination for this year’s Laureus Sport for Good Award is very gratifying due to my involvement with the project in person. There are some projects where you feel emotionally attached. You see them work and they kind of have immediate impact on the kids. This is what I saw with Slum Soccer.
“They have been doing quite a lot; helping kids, changing lives, putting a smile on their faces. This is something that I was fascinated with when I visited Delhi. I hope they continue to have a great impact in India,” said Villas-Boas.

(AI image)
For the 45-year-old Portuguese who last coached Marseille in 2021 and then took a break to focus on racing, the India trip turned out to be a very emotional experience.
“Football can have an impact on different lives. These children (at Slum Soccer) have had difficult childhood, either due to the conditions they were born into or the violence they are surrounded with. For me, it was a very emotional experience,” said Villas-Boas.