Mikel Silvestre bonds with Bollywood stars over football
Former Manchester United footballer Mikel Silvestre has his share of fans in India, but during his stint here in the last one year, the number has only increased. The 38-year-old French footballer was part of a talk show during FIFA World Cup 2014 2014, and later played in the first edition of Indian Super League (ISL) for the Chennai franchise.
On a recent visit to the capital, the five time premier league winner told us that during his stay in India, he made friends in Bollywood, and loves discussing football with them. “Sadly, I haven’t spoken much to John (Abraham) since December, but I have been in touch with Abhishek (Bachchan) (Bachchan). He and I keep having this friendly banter since he supports Chelsea and I am with Manchester United,” he laughs. Bachchan co-owns the Chennai Franchise, while Abraham owns the Guwahati team, and Silvestre says that he is impressed by the behaviour of the celebrity team owners in India.
“In Europe, the club owners take a back seat and don’t interact much with either the fans or the players. But here, because of the culture, the owners travel with the teams, interact with them, and it’s a lovely thing. I mean if I ever was to become the owner of a football club, that’s exactly how I would behave with my team,” he says.
Sadly, I haven’t spoken much to John (Abraham) since December, but I have been in touch with Abhishek (Bachchan) Mikel Silvestre, football player In India, because of the culture, the owners travel with the teams, interact with them, and it’s a lovely thing