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Football fanatics took a shot at mastering star striker Cristiano Ronaldo’s signature skills at Bahrain City Centre over the weekend as part of a KFC promotion.
The ‘finger lickin good’ company dished out a Ronaldo Activation Arena in the mall’s Galleria where shoppers showcased their fancy footwork and dribbling prowess for a chance of winning prizes.
The goal was to pick up a Samsung S4, a Samsung Galaxy Tab or a KFC gift bag.
Mohamed Ghallab, marketing manager of Americana Group Bahrain and Kuwait Restaurants, said: “We have always tried to engage our customers with fun activities and when you have such a great celebrity like Cristiano Ronaldo as the face of KFC, we simply had to put on a grand event.”
The concept was created and organised by Axem Sport Events. Anthony Mmoh, the company’s chief executive officer, said: “The concept is to showcase what makes Ronaldo special.
“Our customers know KFC, for example, has its secret recipe which has made it unique all over the world. And, Ronaldo has moves that no one can duplicate. So we put the two together to create a fun event for families and football fans of all ages!”
At the beginning of the event, two stars of VIVA Bahrain League’s Al Shabab Club exhibited their football juggling skills and moves to a massive crowd before passing on the ball for participants to step up and see if they could produce a little Ronaldo magic too.
Former national footballers, Salah Abdul Jalil, who currently coaches Manama Club, and Zaher Absool, who runs the Legends Soccer Academy, judged the participants on their ball control, dribbling and foot work.
Brothers Ali, eight, and Ayoub Al Hashimi, five, students at Abdul Rahman Kanoo International School, were amongst those to step forward. Ali said: “I had fun. I really like Ronaldo and want to play like him. My brother likes Messi.”
Mum Umm Ali, from Sehla, said: “My husband Nasser and I were spending a family day at the mall. We saw a lot of people around a stage so decided to see what the commotion was about. When we realised it was football the boys immediately took part. They love it, especially Ayoub. It’s a great idea to get the children involved.”
Mr Ghallab’s son, Ahmed, nine, a student at Modern Knowledge School also took up the challenge. Ahmed said: “I love Ronaldo and want to play like him. I don’t know all his moves yet. My favourite team is Real Madrid but for the World Cup Finals I will cheer for Brazil.”
Aside from the competition, children had different flags, superheroes and butterflies painted on their faces while other visitors had their picture taken with a life-size cut-out of Ronaldo.
Qasim Hasan Al Qallaf took first place and Saeed Abdulla Al Hayki came in second. A group of break dancers entertained the crowd with some pop-locking and acrobatic floor routines while the Al Shabab players did some freestyle football moves during breaks.
All participants received coupons to be used at KFC.
