Virat Kohli will watch Man City take on Man United in the FA Cup final on Saturday… as the legendary batsman takes a break from preparations for India’s Test World Championship final against Australia
Virat Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma will watch Manchester City take on Manchester United in their FA Cup final at Wembley on Saturday.
The legendary cricketer is in London preparing to take part in the ICC World Test Championship final with India ahead of the first ball of the match on June 7.
India will face Australia in the one-off test at the Oval and are hoping for a repeat of the team’s last meeting in March, which saw India win the series 2-1 and lift the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the fourth consecutive time.
According ANIKohli and Sharma will be guests of sports label Puma, Man City’s kit sponsor and a brand the cricketer has partnered with since 2017.
But despite the pair being hosted at Wembley by Manchester blue side, Kohli could have mixed allegiances in the afternoon.
Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma will attend Saturday’s FA Cup final between City and United
The iconic batsman prepares for India’s World Test final against Australia at the Oval
The two Test teams last met in a 2-1 victory for India in March after the final game in Ahmedabad ended in a draw.
An avid football fan, the 34-year-old is a huge fan of former Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo who has followed the player throughout his career.
Kohli had previously declared himself a Juventus fan when CR7 plied his trade in Serie A, and has long followed Portugal’s fortunes at international tournaments.
The drummer wrote an emotional message to Ronaldo after his national side were knocked out of the Qatar World Cup in December by Morocco in the quarter-finals.
Taking to Twitter, Kohli wrote: “No trophy or title can take anything away from what you have done in this sport and for sports fans everywhere”.
“No title can explain the impact you’ve had on people and how I and so many around the world feel when we watch you play.” It is a gift from God.
“A true blessing to a man who plays his heart out every time and who is the epitome of hard work and dedication and a true inspiration to any sportsman. You are to me the greatest of all time,” Kohli concluded by tackling the Al-Nassr striker.
The former national team captain also has his own football team, having bought a stake in FC Goa, which competes in the Indian Super League.
Saturday’s final marks the first time a Manchester derby has been contested in an FA Cup final, and the first time the sides will meet at Wembley since their semi-final clash in 2011.
Although Kohli and Sharma are Puma’s brand ambassadors, the cricketer may have lingering United allegiances due to his admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo.
Erik ten Hag will be looking to clinch a second trophy in his first season at Old Trafford
The stakes are incredibly high with rivals Crosstown, City keen to take the next step in the hunt for their historic treble after winning the Premier League, and United determined to stop them.
Erik ten Hag is adamant that his players will only be motivated by the pursuit of their second trophy of the season – having lifted the Carabao Cup in February – but Marcus Rashford has hinted that ensuring City is not able to match the club’s unrivaled 1999 season is a thought that will be at the forefront of the team’s minds.
Speaking at the club’s end-of-season awards ceremony where he was awarded both the club’s player of the year and player of the year, the England starlet cited his “most important”.
‘Ensure Man United remain the only English club to do the treble? This is the most important thing,” the 25-year-old insisted.
