This Sunday, José Mourinho visited Mundialito 2012, the most important children's football tournament in the world, which runs until the 8th of April, in Vila Real de Santo António.
Attesting to the global dimension of the event, the Real Madrid coach wanted to visit the Mundialito Museum and took the opportunity to visit the Mundialito Center, where he was awaited by hundreds of children.
Before that, the Madrid coach watched the opening match of his son, an athlete from Clube Desportivo de Canillas, who played in the early hours of the morning against Futebol Clube do Porto.
This Sunday, the Mundialito agenda was also marked by the arrival of the FIFA World Cup, won by the Spanish team in 2010, in South Africa. The trophy was donated by the Spanish Football Federation and will be on display until 8 April.
An hour before the inaugural parade, a press conference was held with the presence of Mundialito's founder, Ricardo Godoy; the director general of Mundialito, Nilda Gutiérrez; the football player Maniche and the Mayor of VRSA, Luís Gomes.
For Ricardo Godoy, this event, in everything like a world championship, «is above all synonymous with the children's party» and one more step towards the growth of Mundialito, which should now have two annual editions: one in Vila Real de Santo António and another in Qatar.
Maniche, on the other hand, praised the pedagogical aspect of this football festival, saying that «despite having grown up in a difficult environment, it was football that helped him to develop as an athlete and as a person».
Also in the use of the word, the mayor of Vila-Realense Luís Gomes stated that Mundialito is the best example of how a municipality can be promoted in sporting terms.
He also highlighted the qualities of the VRSA Sports Complex, which is being a place of preparation for many of the athletes who will be present at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
The day culminated with the inaugural parade, where 4 athletes from the 192 teams competing at the Mundialito passed through and 54 flags representing all participating countries were exhibited.
In all, more than seven thousand people passed through the Sports Complex today.
Mundialito in numbers:
>>4000 Crianças
>>54 nationalities
>>192 teams
>>700 games
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