Indian Super League (ISL) club FC Goa and Bundesliga side RB Leipzig signed a three-year strategic partnership on Thursday. Hailing the move, India cricket team captain and FC Goa co-owner Virat Kohli said that he is confident that this partnership "will be a long and fruitful one". The partnership between the Indian club and the German side will focus on youth development among other things. "I want to extend a warm welcoming hand to @FCGoaOfficial, who today have joined hands with @RBLeipzig_EN as the club's strategic partner. I have seen the visions of both the clubs and am confident that this partnership will be a long and fruitful one," tweeted Virat Kohli on Friday morning.
"I am delighted to have RB Leipzig as our partners. They have shown the world of football how to build from the ground up and that's something we resonate with. It is our first international partnership and in RB Leipzig, we have the perfect partner," FC Goa President and co-owner, Akshay Tandon was quoted as saying on the official ISL website.
“We look forward to our partnership with FC Goa. The club, with its young, modern and innovative approach suits us perfectly. We want to break new ground with RB Leipzig and now we look to take our first steps internationally," said RB Leipzig CEO, Oliver Mintzlaff.
Virat Kohli is currently in India on national duty with the Indian team. Team India stars reached Sydney on Thursday, where all of them along with their families will go into a 14-day quarantine period.
India are touring Australia to play three One-day Internationals (ODI), three Twenty20 Internationals (T20I) and four Test matches.
Virat Kohli, however, will not take part in the final three Tests. The Team India captain and his wife Anushka Sharma are expecting their first child in January, and he will return home after the opening Test in Adelaide ends on December 21.