ADDIS ABABA – The UEFA Champions League Trophy has attracted football fans during its stay in Ethiopia’s capital as part of its Africa tour headlined by the Dutch legend Clarence Seedorf.
The Trophy Tour presented by Heineken has taken the Europe’s most prestigious club football competition to fans around the rest of the world since 2007.
This year, the trophy is on tour in Africa, making stops in DR Congo and Mozambique before its arrival in Ethiopia’s capital on Sunday morning, along with the legend of the game, Seedorf.
On Sunday, the trophy made a tour around the capital with stops at the Unity Park and Sheraton Addis, where football fans were able to get a chance to be in close proximity of the iconic Trophy to get a picture taken.
Seedorf – the only player to have won UEFA Champions League (1995 with Ajax, 1998 with Real Madrid, 2003 & 2007 with AC Milan) – also met with fans and hold a press briefing at Sheraton.
The 46-year-old Dutchman said he was thrilled to visit Addis Ababa for the first time, and bring the trophy to Ethiopia.
Apart from promoting the Champions League, the tour aims to motivate children playing football, according to Seedorf. The Dutch Footballer also met with young footballers and former national team players at Abebe Bikila Stadium in the afternoon.
The Dutch Footballer also met and played a game with young footballers and former national team players on Sunday afternoon.
The Champions League Trophy has left Addis Ababa for Legos, Nigeria, on Monday morning for a last part of its tour in Africa. Its final destination will of course be in Paris, a city that will host 2022 UEFA Champions League Final on May 28.