Arjun Kapoor on his Football team: This time when our teams play, Ranbir and I will be at war

There are quite a few Bollywood stars who are sports enthusiasts and some including John Abraham, Abhishek Bachchan, and Ranbir Kapoor already have their own Football teams. Now, actor Arjun Kapoor, too, has become the co-owner of a team in the Football league.

When asked about his enthusiasm for Football, Arjun stated, "When I was 15 years of age, I started following Chelsea and that’s when I turned to Football. That was mainly because I loved this player called Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. The internet was new to us and the matches were not on TV that often. It used to come once a week but I got very enamoured by football and I started taking interest in the sport. It’s been 17-18 years since I have been a fan of that club, and Football in India has grown so much in these years, in terms of telecast. I was a fan back then because I never played it as a kid and I wish I had. Even now, I enjoy playing whatever little I do. I am blessed to have this opportunity. Becoming a co-owner, I somewhere feel I’m living my childhood dream vicariously through this Football club."

When asked if he ever had aspirations to become a footballer, he said, "I’m 32! You have to be realistic. And when I was 15, I looked like a Football myself (laughs). I didn’t aspire to do anything when I was 15. I was just a lost child. I was not this passionate about any sport to that degree. It just grew over the years. If you see my life, my first 15 years have just gone in discovering myself. After that, I started discovering my passions, what I wanted to be. A lot of people want to find clarity at an early age. I took a bit of time. I made my debut at the age of 25-26 because I discovered that wish of becoming an actor also a little late. Others work towards it since they are 17-18. I did that at 23. That way, I am bit of an opposite case. "

He further continued, "The lack of my playing as a kid doesn’t override my love for the sport. I have never let that come in the way. I understand, love and observe the game. As a kid, all I used to play was Football Manager which used to come every year. It’s the biggest computer simulation game in the world, which I would play night after night. Basically, you become the manager of a team to make it successful. From a young age, I have been inclined towards this ownership module. As a kid, I have imagined having a club that I can mould and now, in my small capacity, I will be able to do that."

Ranbir Kapoor and Arjun bonded over the sport. When asked if owning rival teams would affect their friendship, he said, "This time when Ranbir's team plays against mine, Ranbir and I will be at war (laughs). Ranbir and I can’t be friends for now, we are in for a war, something like a Battle Royale (laughs again). All our friends will have to wear Ranbir's jersey in the first half and my team's jersey for the second half. It’s going to be a great game and I would rather have the game have the value, than Ranbir and me. We both are football fanatics and we love the sport and the fact that we own teams. But yes, I can assure you that the friendly banter is going to be there. There will be an edge to those games for sure."

When asked how he plans to create a balance between his matches and shoots, he stated, "I will balance it out as much as I can, because films and shoot dates sometimes cannot be changed. We have to prioritise it for the practicality of the production. But whenever, wherever possible, we will always work around it. Like in January, I’m free so I’ll be attending way more matches. This time, I got involved a little late so I couldn’t influence the schedule. From next year onwards, we will have the advantage of knowing the dates in advance, so we will figure and work backwards. Also, I don’t think I always need to be there to be present. I will continue doing what I’m already doing, through social media."

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