HCM CITY –  Legendary footballers, Ruud Gullit and Carles Puyol yesterday began their tour of Việt Nam escorting the UEFA Champions League Trophy in HCM City.

For a week the trophy and its famous escorts will travel to Đà Nẵng, Nha Trang, Hà Nội, and Hải Phòng.

“After 15 seasons as a Barcelona first-team player and a decade as club captain, I am so proud of winning three Champions League trophies,” Dutchman Gullit said.

“I am overwhelmed to know that many Vietnamese stay up all night to watch live Champions League on TV.

Gullit was a Barcelona star for 15 seasons of which he was captain for a decade.

He said while in the country he and Puyol would interact with Vietnamese fans.

After a formal press conference at the Reunification Palace, the trophy was taken on a city tour and then to the Military Stadium No 7 in Tân Bình District for a music festival.

The trophy will be in Nha Trang today, Đà Nẵng tomorrow, Hà Nội from April 11 to 13 and Hải Phòng on April 13.

It will go on city tours at all the places, giving fans a chance to hold it at organiser Heineken’s Mega Trophy Event.

Contests to be held at the event at all the cities will give fans a chance to make a trip to Milan in Italy to watch the UEFA Champions League final.

“Heineken has been an integral partner of the UEFA Champions League since 2005, and will so remain until 2018,” Leo Evers, managing director of Vietnam Brewery Limited, which makes Heiniken beer, said. -- VNS