Millions to watch football 'messiah' Zidane play in Bangladesh

Up to 25 million people are expected to watch French football star Zinedine Zidane work his magic during a televised exhibition match with young players in sports-mad Bangladesh.

"Bangladesh fans were shocked when he was sent off during the final but he is still just as popular. We think of him as a football messiah," said the general secretary of Bangladesh Football Federation, Anwarul Haque Helal.

"His popularity here borders on idolatry and we feel very fortunate to have him come here and inspire our young generation of players," he added.
 
Zidane was due to arrive here late Monday at the invitation of Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, whose Grameen Bank specialises in giving small loans to the poor.

The retired player, regarded as a sporting legend in the south Asian country, was scheduled to play in an exhibition match between under-16 teams on Tuesday in the capital Dhaka.

The match, in which he would wear the strips of the country's two leading teams, would be shown live on the private Ntv television channel, officials said.

"This will be very exciting for sports fans and we expect that around 25 million people will enjoy watching the match," said Samir Kumar Pal of Sirus Marketing and Research.

Zidane was also due to visit a village near Dhaka on Tuesday to meet Grameen Bank borrowers who have been lifted out of poverty by the bank's pioneering microcredit concept.

On Wednesday, he would officially open a factory project run by French food giant Danone and Grameen Bank at a ceremony in the capital.

Each has a 50 percent stake in the one-million-dollar plant in the northern town of Bogra which is aimed at producing nutritious food products targeted at people on low-incomes.

Bangladesh, which has a population of 144 million, is one of the world's poorest countries.