Spanish football league La Liga have announced Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma as its brand ambassador in India on Thursday. The same was confirmed by multiple sources including La Liga’s official twitter handle.

It is worth highlighting that Rohit Sharma is the first-ever non-footballer to be appointed by La Liga globally. With the announcement, the elegant Indian opening batsman will become the face of the league in a country where football is still playing catch up with cricket in terms of popularity.

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Here he is…🤩

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The new #LaLiga Brand Ambassador in India, Rohit Sharma! 🇮🇳🏏⚽✨

Welcome, @ImRo45! 🤝🙌 pic.twitter.com/ecMsRb9rzS

— LaLiga (@LaLigaEN) December 12, 2019

“Football in India is in its global trajectory and it is heartening to see that it is no more considered as the ‘sleeping giant’. Over the course of the past five years, we have witnessed significant growth in the interest for football in India. Credit must be given to everyone associated with it, including the fans,” said Rohit.

“I am truly delighted to be associated with La Liga. It’s encouraging to see the Spanish giant have made inroads into the Indian football ecosystem through their grassroots programme. Personally, I see this as an interesting journey for me into the beautiful game with La Liga. I look forward eagerly to connecting with the football fans in India,” he added.

Notably, La Liga is very popular in India owing to the massive popularity of two of the biggest clubs in Spain- Real Madrid and Barcelona. Knowing full well that they have a good fan base in India, La Liga have been trying to build a space for themselves in the Indian market for a couple of years now.

“India is a very important market for La Liga from a global perspective, we came here in 2017 to get a better understanding of the pulse of the nation. Over the past two years, and after several ground-breaking initiatives, it is obvious that India has a huge appetite for football. Rohit Sharma is the perfect example of this, in spite of being the most renowned face in Indian cricket right now, he is also an ardent football and La Liga fan,” Jose Antonio Cachaza, Managing Director, La Liga India said.

“In his persona on and off the field, Rohit embodies the La Liga standards and principles. We are elated to have him as La Liga’s first ever non-footballer brand ambassador and as the face of our brand in India,” he added.

Rohit also announced the news on social media admitting that the announcement was extremely special to him as football has always had a special place in his heart.

“Hola India/España, as you guys know, football has always held a special place in my heart so this association is so special to me. And to be named the ambassador for the La Liga is so humbling. So excited for this partnership @LaLigaEN,” Rohit tweeted.

Hola India/España, as you guys know, football has always held a special place in my heart so this association is so special to me. And to be named the ambassador for the La Liga is so humbling. So excited for this partnership @LaLigaEN pic.twitter.com/prZFFSeHdV

— Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) December 12, 2019