Sachin Tendulkar co-owned Smaaash signs Ronaldo for soccer centre

MUMBAI: Smaaash Entertainment, a sports-centric virtual entertainment company co-owned by Sachin Tendulkar has tied up with football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to launch its first Smaaash Soccer Centre in Dubai and Jeddah.

Smaaash plans to invest USD 20 million in the project over six months with an aim to create opportunities for all Middle Eastern soccer fans to practice and play football, the company said in a statement.

The company has invested around Rs 15 crore developing the soccer games.

"The company will launch a 65,000-sq ft gaming arcade with soccer, cricket and other virtual games in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in July and another in Dubai two months later. We have seven soccer challenges through which you can find out what percentage of Ronaldo is in you, but Smaaash is also about the games Ronaldo loves," Smaaash Entertainment Founder and Chief Imagination Officer Shripal Morakhia said.

Smaaash intends to open the first soccer centres in GCC before bringing it to India. They are in conversation with various partners in these regions and an announcement will be made shortly, the company said.

"As one of the mentors of Smaaash, I'm very excited about the Smaaash and Cristiano Ronaldo tie-up, both from an India perspective and for football fans worldwide. Football is the number one sport internationally, and is growing at a serious pace in India. So playing against Ronaldo at Smaaash will be a dream come true for all football fans globally," Tendulkar said.