Cafu, Nadia Comăneci and other sporting legends bring joy to Madrid’s youth ahead of global awards night

In a heartwarming prelude to Monday’s international sports awards, four iconic athletes—Brazil’s World Cup-winning captain Cafu, Olympic gymnast Nadia Comăneci, squash legend Nicol David, and rugby great Hugo Porta—spent April 19 engaging with young participants of the Fútbol Más programme in Madrid.
Now part of a global sports academy committed to social impact, the former champions joined a football session with children from marginalised areas — proving once again that sport is a powerful tool for inclusion, joy, and growth.
Fútbol Más operates across Africa, Latin America, and Europe, promoting emotional and physical well-being through sport. During the visit, the athletes joined passing drills, kickabouts, and informal chats with coaches, all focused on building resilience and community through play.
“It’s programmes like this that use football and sport to help those most in need,” said Cafu. “The kids might not have known they were playing with a World Cup winner today, but they gave me far more than I gave them.”
Comăneci, a founding member of the academy, praised the initiative’s spirit saying, “Their compassion and imagination prove this movement is just getting started.”
Nicol David added, “Only sport can create the kind of impact we saw today. These connections make our mission feel real and urgent.”
On concluding, Porta said: “The smiles are instant, but the deeper impact can last generations. That’s the legacy we want to build.”
While Monday’s ceremony in Madrid will celebrate sporting excellence, for these legends, the real magic happened on a local field—where the game still changes lives.