For most football lovers, simply walking into Old Trafford — the iconic home of Manchester United — is a dream in itself. For a group of amateur footballers from Mumbai, that dream turned into something even more magical.
When Clinton, Daniel, Johnson, Mervin, Scott and Shabaz of Kalina Rangers arrived at the stadium, they expected a tour. Instead, what awaited them was nothing short of surreal.
As they stepped inside the United dressing room, they were stunned. On the seats usually reserved for legends like Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes, Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford, were jerseys bearing their own names. For a moment, the Rangers weren’t just visitors — they were part of Manchester United.
And that was just the beginning.
From the dressing room walkout to the players’ tunnel, from hearing the stadium anthem to setting foot on the hallowed turf — the Rangers lived a once-in-a-lifetime dream. They even played three five-a-side matches on the pitch, including one against a legends’ team featuring Dimitar Berbatov, treble-winner Wes Brown, and Indian stars Renedy Singh, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Robin Singh, and Tanvie Hans.
“Coming to the stadium itself was huge, but what we experienced was unbelievable. To play on the same grass where legends have played — it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said former Rangers player and current manager, Prithvi Manjaly.
The opportunity came after Rangers won Apollo Tyres’ ‘Road to Old Trafford’ tournament.
The Road to Old Trafford
Apollo Tyres vice-chairman & MD Neeraj Kanwar explained:
“With ‘Road to Old Trafford’, we want to celebrate India’s passion for football and give players a global stage. Playing at Old Trafford is an incredible opportunity, and we hope it motivates young Indian footballers to dream bigger.”
The competition spanned Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Pune — and Rangers, known favourites in five-a-side football, dominated as expected.
Prithvi doesn’t shy away from confidence:
“Even if you put together a team of India’s best five, I think we’d still beat them. Whenever we’ve gone abroad, we’ve proven ourselves. We’ve played against thousands of teams and still come out on top.”
The Rise of Kalina Rangers
Since their formation in 2016, the Rangers have become India’s most successful five-a-side team. Their numbers are staggering:
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Nearly 500 trophies won
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80–90 titles every year (with a record 97 in 2018)
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Nine national championships
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Six international trips
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Victories over powerhouses like Italy and Hungary
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Praise from none other than Brazilian superstar Neymar Jr.
Goalkeeper Scott Moraes summed up their winning philosophy:
“On the field, we know exactly what to do — keep the ball, create space, attack. It always works for us.”
