La Liga Appoints Cricketer Rohit Sharma as Brand Ambassador in India

Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma has been appointed as the brand ambassador of La Liga in India, the cricket announced on Thursday and said it was a humbling appointment.

La Liga is a very popular in India, mainly due to the popularity of two of their biggest clubs Real Madrid and FC Barcelona but the league has been trying to build a brand in India for a couple of years now.

The league has also screened a couple of El Clasicos as a part of their brand enlargement in the country.

Rohit took to Twitter on Thursday to announce the association and said it was extremely special to him as football holds a special place in his heart.

"Hola India/España, as you guys know, football has always held a special place in my heart so this association is so special to me. And to be named the ambassador for the La Liga is so humbling. So excited for this partnership @LaLigaEN," Rohit tweeted.

Interestingly, Rohit had revealed ahead of FIFA World Cup 2018 in France that he was rooting for Spain. In fact he had also made an Instagram post, where he could be seen in Spanish jersey for the mega event and called the shirt "dope".

La Liga has made focussed efforts in India since 2017 to nurture the sport and build the brand in the country. In the two years since La Liga opened its office in India, the league has undertaken several key initiatives like the launch of a grassroots development programme, La Liga Football Schools, bringing a top European club Girona FC to India for the first time and many more.

"India is a very important market for La Liga from a global perspective, we came here in 2017 to get a better understanding of the pulse of the nation. Over the past two years, and after several ground-breaking initiatives, it is obvious that India has a huge appetite for football. Rohit Sharma is the perfect example of this, inspite of being the most renowned face in Indian cricket right now, he is also an ardent football and La Liga fan. In his persona on and off the field, Rohit embodies the La Liga standards and principles. We are elated to have him as La Liga's first ever non-footballer brand ambassador and as the face of our brand in India," Jose Antonio Cachaza, Managing Director, La Liga India said.

On the association, Rohit Sharma said, "Football in India, is in its global growth trajectory and it is heartening to see that it is no more considered as the 'sleeping giant'. Over the course of the past 5 years, we have witnessed a significant growth in the interest for football in India. Credit must be given to everyone associated with it, including the fans."

"I am truly delighted to be associated with La Liga. It's encouraging to see the Spanish giant have made inroads into the Indian football ecosystem through their grassroots programme. Personally, I see this as an interesting journey for me into the beautiful game with La Liga. I look forward eagerly to connecting with the football fans in India."

Currently the La Liga matches in India are broadcasted on Facebook through live streaming. The La Liga contract in India was previously with Sony but La Liga then chose to switch to Facebook.

FC Barcelona are currently leading the La Liga points table with 34 points in 15 matches. Second placed Real Madrid have the same points in as many games but an inferior goal difference of 21 compared to 23 of the Catalan club has made the difference.

Sevilla are placed third with 31 points in 16 games while Real Sociedad, with 27 points in 16 matches, complete the top 4.

In this weekend's La Liga, Barcelona will be up against Sociedad in an away game on December 14. On December 16 late night game, Real Madrid will travel to Valencia.