© ISLBollywood super-star Ranbir Kapoor, co-owner of Team Mumbai, dreams football, talks football and also plays football. From the moment he walked in for this interview, his eyes were fixed on a football kept in a corner of the room. You could see that he was itching to play with it, which he did, after the interview was over.“I am a football fan who is extremely over-enthusiastic about the sport,” he gushes, when asked about the reason that drove him to co-own Team Mumbai, “When I heard that our own country was preparing to host a football league, I immediately started chasing the people involved, asking them about the application procedure. It is every football fan’s dream to own a team, and to co-own the Mumbai club is better than anything that I could have asked for, because Mumbai is the city that I have grown up in and love the most.”Ranbir admits that he leaves all the specifics of the team selection and the technical nuances to people whom he thinks know these jobs much better than him. “On the other hand, I am very involved in the discussions that are related to team philosophy, our logo, kit, venue for the practice matches and a lot of other stuff,” he informs.The philosophy and values that Team Mumbai would adopt would be “similar to the value system of the city of Mumbai”, says Ranbir. “Mumbai gives everybody an opportunity, as long as that person is ready to work hard and give a hundred percent along with sweat, perseverance and hard work.”He wants to reach out to over 100 schools and one lakh children with his club’s grassroots programme, for which he is taking the help of the Mumbai District Football Association. He also hopes to help provide the necessary major upgrade to India’s footballing infrastructure.The very mention of Barcelona is enough for his eyes to light up. His iPhone cover, a bold representation of the Catalan club’s logo, spells out his allegiance: “I would love for Team Mumbai to emulate Barcelona if possible…also Bayern Munich, as I admire their team ethics and game.” The Bollywood heartthrob is also excited about the signing of Manuel Friedrich, the ex-Dortmund player. “Arunava Chaudhuri, our COO, helped us get Manuel. He has been based in Germany for a long time, so his inputs and efforts were vital. We are still looking for our marquee signing though,” he confesses.“I remember bargaining with my tuition teacher. I would give him my undivided attention only if he allowed me to have a football near my feet.”Ranbir KapoorThe conversation then shifts to his childhood memories of football, and the question sends Ranbir sauntering down memory lane. “I remember bargaining with my tuition teacher. I would give him my undivided attention only if he allowed me to have a football near my feet,” he says with a cheeky grin. “Scoring for my school in a cup final is also a fond memory. My mother still has a cut out of the newspaper that published the match report.”You can keep football away from Ranbir but you can’t keep Ranbir away from football. “I might sneak into a few practice sessions if my Director of Football, Nishant Mehra, allows me to. I would love to be on the same pitch as my team,” he threatens with a sly smile, before signing off with a message for Team Mumbai fans,“I hope we give you a reason to come and support your very own team from your very own city. You might want to come and watch us instead of watching Manchester United, Barcelona or Real Madrid every week.”