The Red Bull Neymar Jr’s Five tournament in São Paulo is unlike anything else in the world of futsal. Every year, a luxury hotel on Pernambuco Beach turns into a football carnival, with FIFA consoles buzzing in the lobby, foosball tables crammed together, and spontaneous one-on-one duels breaking out by the fountains. Among the 40 nations represented this year were Mumbai’s very own Kalina Rangers, who carried India’s hopes into the competition.
For the players, it was more than just a tournament. It was their chance to represent India on a global futsal stage. Charnel De’Almeida, with the ball glued to his feet during a one-on-one challenge in the hotel lobby, drew cheers from the crowd who nicknamed him Ronaldinho. For the team, moments like these reflected the magic of their journey — from Kalina’s bylanes to one of the world’s biggest futsal events.
Kalina Rangers had been close before, finishing as national runners-up twice before finally booking their ticket to Brazil in 2019. The team, an offshoot of a club founded in 1982, abandoned its original Kalina-only selection rule years ago and has since dominated Indian five-a-side football. Winning nearly 100 tournaments a year, they have become the country’s most decorated futsal side, balancing weekday jobs with weekend trophies and collective earnings of over ₹12 lakh annually.
In São Paulo, their group-stage campaign was tough. They drew with Luxembourg, suffered losses to Angola and Spain, and then stunned eventual champions Hungary — the only team to beat them in the tournament. Unfortunately, the win came too late to secure qualification. Their possession-heavy, attacking style impressed, but physical duels against stronger opponents proved challenging, and small margins cost them crucial points.
Despite the setback, the experience was unforgettable. For many, it was their first trip abroad, their first time wearing the India badge in futsal. As manager Prithvi Manjaly put it, on their day, the Rangers can beat anyone, even a five-a-side side made up of national players. That belief, combined with their bond and relentless pursuit of silverware, keeps the team going. Just a day after returning from Brazil, they were back in Mumbai, already winning trophies again.
The Rangers’ story is one of passion, persistence and pride. Until India formalizes futsal, this group of engineers, shopkeepers, and call-centre workers will continue carrying the game forward, trophy by trophy, weekend after weekend — driven by the simple motto: work on weekdays, win on weekends.
