Melton company teams up with Ronaldo for World Cup

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Published Date: 25 February 2010

A MELTON company is working closely with global football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo as they help stoke up the excitement for this summer's World Cup.

SAQ® International managing director Alan Pearson jetted off to Madrid last week to launch a global football challenge with the Real Madrid player and World Footballer of the Year.

The Melton firm was awarded the contract to run, deliver and design a training programme for Challenge Ronaldo in which members of the public will go up against the Portuguese international in an exciting one-off skills challenge.

Alan put a select group of the world's press through the programme at the media launch for the project at Real Madrid's high tech training ground ahead of the event itself on April 1.

The presence of Ronaldo and his sizeable entourage attracted film crews from around the world, including Australia, Asia, the United States and Europe.

Alan said: "It is an actual competition where people can apply and if chosen they will be put up in a five-star hotel and challenge Ronaldo on some of the drills.

"The whole concept of the press launch was to give them and the public an insight into a winning performance. When people see the hours of training this kind of sportsman puts in, they will see their success doesn't come overnight."

SAQ®, which stands for Speed, Agility, Quickness, were hired by leading advertising agency Saatchi and Saatchi who have a contract with Castrol, one of the sponsors for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Alan has been given the role of Castrol Performance Analyst and will be involved in the build-up to the World Cup right up to the big kick-off on June 11.

Alan added: "We have done a lot of different work with Saatchi and Saatchi in the past. They came to me and we came up with the Ronaldo Challenge. 

"I launched it as well as ran it on the pitch, and Ronaldo came over and took the press through some football drills. It's been very well received."

SAQ's football training drills are used by giants of the game including German team Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkeusen. 

Their programmes are used by an impressive galaxy of leading sports clubs including Guinness Premiership champions Leicester Tigers in rugby and Essex CCC in cricket. 

Yet working with the former Manchester United star in ahead of the World Cup is a big feather in the cap for the town firm.

Alan said: "We are a little company based in Melton, but here we are on the world stage working with one of the best players in the world. It's great for SAQ and for Melton."

PHOTOS: Denis Doyle/Getty Images