Wizards of the game to thrill Aussie crowds as world’s best play big cities in a two-month tour
Seven of the world’s top football clubs, worth a combined A$10.2 billion ($10.93 billion), are about to turn Australia into the game’s offseason hot spot.
In a two-month window starting this week, Australian fans will see four giants of the English game — Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham — Spain’s Real Madrid and Villarreal, and Italy’s Roma.
The A-list of visitors includes four of the eight wealthiest clubs, and seven of the most expensive players.
The matches will feature names such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, James Rodriguez, Diego Costa, Eden Hazard, Oscar, John Terry, Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Yaya Toure.
Australians are already familiar with the stars from TV broadcasts of England’s Premier League, Spain’s La Liga and Italy’s Serie A, as well as last year’s World Cup in Brazil, where the players shone in their national team colours for powerhouses Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Italy, France, England, Portugal, Belgium, Denmark, Colombia and Ivory Coast.
But the chance to see so many at close range is a rarity, beginning in Adelaide on Friday when Villarreal play Adelaide United. Sydney then steals the limelight with two highprofile matches in four days.
Sydney FC gets the chance to restore some battered pride after their three-goal loss to Melbourne Victory in the A-League grand final, firstly against Harry Kane-led Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday night and then on Tuesday against Jose Mourinho’s newly-crowned EPL champions Chelsea, who boast five of the world’s top 20 players.
Brisbane enters the picture the next day when the Roar host Villarreal, a fixture which will give some indication of the welcome that awaits Liverpool there in July.
Brisbane will make sure the Reds never walk alone in Australia, anticipating euphoria reminiscent of Liverpool’s appearance before 95,000 fans in Melbourne two years ago, when the singing of the team’s Merseyside anthem brought tears to the eyes of
captain Steven Gerrard.
The US-bound Liverpool veteran won’t be in Australia this time, but other Anfield heroes such as Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho will, as Brendan Rodgers and his side make a two-match trip Downunder that also takes them to Adelaide.
Melbourne will underline its status as a sporting capital by hosting a round robin tournament in July featuring Real Madrid, Manchester City and Roma, all three recently having to settle for runners-up spots in their league championships in Spain, England and Italy.
The big drawcard is Portuguese superstar Ronaldo, who has won Fifa’s Ballon d’Or for world player of the year three times. The appearance of so many stars adds to the momentum the round-ball game has gained in recent years Downunder.