Children of 57 nationalities have set a new world record after taking part in a football training session in Madrid ahead of the Champions League final in the Spanish capital.
The event is part of the Football for Friendship tournament, and saw children aged nine to 14 take part from nations as far and wide as the USA, Poland, France, India, Azerbaijan, Russia.
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Anna Orford, adjudicator of the Guinness World Records, officially registered the achievement.
Speaking just before handing the diploma to Viktor Zubkov of Gazprom, the main sponsor of the tournament, Orford described the record “as one of the most enjoyable in her life” and heaped particular praise on the young goalkeepers involved in the historic training session.
The event, held at a sport complex just outside Madrid, preceded the semi-final games of the Football for Friendship 2019 football tournament - with the main showcase final to take place in Madrid’s central square, Plaza Mayor, just hours before Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur meet in the 2019 UEFA Champions League Final at the city’s Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.
The Football for Friendship tournament and social program has been in existence for seven years, and is run by Russian gas giant Gazprom.
It has grown every year - with 5,000 children from across the planet taking part in the event this time.
Organizers aim at not only popularizing the beautiful game, but also instilling important values - such as humanity, devotion and fairness - among youngsters.
Some of the program’s participants - like Juventus youth team striker Luka Markovic - have gone on to play for professional clubs.