It is that time of the year in Kolkata when each and every person gets into festive mood as Durga Puja nears. But that feeling will be overshadowed with the presence of the three-time World Cup winning Brazilian legend Pele.
The goalscoring-machine will be addressing nearly 120,000 people at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium) ahead of the ISL match between Atletico de Kolkata and Kerala Blasters on Tuesday.
There was a 3 km long queue outside the stadium as football fanatics in the city waited patiently to get into the stadium just to get a glimpse of the legendary Pele.
The DJ's inside the stadium started playing some peppy numbers to keep the crowd on their feet. The women draped in white and red sarees have been playing the 'dhaak' to welcome the people, players and other dignitaries into the Mecca of Indian football.
Atletico de Kolkata have already gone through their first session of drills. Kerala Blasters players will be coming out any moment from now to relax their muscles.
There is still an hour left for the live action to start but the crowd have already started coming in numbers. The message is loud and clear from the fans - they are not going to leave any leaves unturned to welcome their beloved "Football Samrat" Pele, who once enchanted the people of this city 38 years ago with his footballing skills.
Pele had mentioned a few days ago that he was eager to watch a classic encounter between Atletico de Kolkata and Kerala Blasters. And one can be rest assured that the fans will be cheering their heart out for the Brazilian legend throughout the 90 minutes.
