Rinku recently attended his first-ever live football match at Old Trafford, witnessing the Manchester derby against Manchester City in the Premier League. The experience gave the Indian cricketer an opportunity to watch the rivalry from inside the iconic stadium after previously following football only on television.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cEarlier, I was a United fan, and I still am to some extent because of Nitish Rana bhai. He introduced me to football and showed me how to watch the game. From there, my interest in football grew a bit. And Rana Bhai is a United fan, so I used to spend time with him, and watching him, I became a fan of United,\u201d Rinku told JioStar.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The derby, however, did not produce the result Rinku\u2019s adopted club would have wanted. Manchester City secured a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford, with Erling Haaland scoring the decisive goal in the second half.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Despite arriving as a United supporter, Rinku admitted that he found himself backing City at certain stages of the match as United struggled to create an impact.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cYes, I found myself supporting City a little bit as the match went on. United weren\u2019t playing that well, while City were looking better at the time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
For Rinku, though, the result was secondary to the experience of watching a football match live for the first time. He said the atmosphere inside Old Trafford helped him understand why the sport has such a strong following around the world.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI consider myself lucky because I got to watch a match between City and United. I was very lucky to be there and watch the match at such a time. It was the first live football match of my life, and it was a completely different feeling altogether,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI realised what it feels like to watch a football match live in a stadium. I had only watched matches on TV before, so it felt really good to be there. I loved the vibe. The way the entire crowd supports the team when a goal is scored or a player does something special, the crowd screams out. That is something you really feel and experience when you are there at the stadium,\u201d he added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI consider myself lucky because I got to watch a match between City and United. I was very lucky to be there and watch the match at such a time. It was the first live football match of my life, and it was a completely different feeling altogether,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI really like Marcus Rashford. I\u2019ve followed him a lot, so he\u2019s my favourite. And when it comes to composure, I think Bruno Fernandes. He stays very calm, plays very calmly, keeps strolling on the pitch, and when the ball arrives, he instantly scores a goal or does whatever is needed on the pitch,\u201d he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n