Sabah wins heart of Liverpool football legend Luis Garcia
THE beauty of Sabah has captured yet another heart, and this time, it is of Liverpool football legend, Luis Garcia.
Garcia, who was part of Liverpool’s 2005 Champions League winning squad, is in Kota Kinabalu ahead of the Masters Football Asia’s ‘The Battle of Reds’ (BOTR) match on Nov 20 against arch rivals Manchester United.
Garcia was so mesmerised by Sabah that he waxed lyrical about it in an Instagram post, and uploaded a picture of himself visiting a local market in the state capital.
“Saya memiliki minggu yang baik !! One of the best things of these trips are the beautiful places I found. Kota Kinabalu in the state of Sabah (Malaysia) with delicious food, beautiful markets and one of the best Sunsets I’ve ever seen. Have a great week guys !! #Morethanagame #OnTheMove #Malaysia,” read his post, which has garnered 4,900 likes and 118 comments.
Best known for his “ghost goal” during the 2004/2005 Champions League semi-final match against Chelsea, the Spaniard is head over heels in love with Sabah’s scenery, food, markets and even sunsets. Coincidentally, Liverpool fans once dedicated a song to Garcia which includes the word “sunset” in its lyrics – a nod to his love for nature.
Garcia’s local Instagram followers warmly welcomed him to Sabah, with many urging him to visit other states in Malaysia, including Penang, Kelantan, Perak, Sarawak and Negri Sembilan.
One Instagram user even praised Garcia for using Bahasa Melayu in his post.
Garcia’s praise for Sabah is undoubtedly a boost for local tourism, and comes at just the right time, with Visit Malaysia 2020 just weeks away.
Meanwhile, for the BOTR, Garcia is expected to team up with other Liverpool legends including David James, Jason McAteer, John Arne Riise and Danny Murphy.
Players representing Manchester United are likely to be Ronny Johnson, Mikael Silvestre, Wes Brown, Clayton Blackmore, Keith Gillespie, Teddy Sheringham and Dwight Yorke, among others.
The legends match is jointly organised with Firm Horizon Sdn Bhd and will be held at the Likas Stadium in Kota Kinabalu.
Source: New Straits Times
