Barcelona's President Seen with Ronaldinho in Central Asian Country during Transfer Deadline: Find Out Why

Joan Laporta, the president of Barcelona, promised the team's fans that there would be a few new players signed before the transfer deadline on September 1st. However, he might not be the one handling these signings.

This is because Laporta is currently not in Barcelona or even Europe. Instead, he is in Kyrgyzstan, a country located in Central Asia with a population of about 6.5 million people.

To give you an idea, if there was a direct flight available, it would take nearly 11 hours to travel from Barcelona to the capital city of Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan.

To be clear, Laporta's purpose in Kyrgyzstan is to inaugurate not one, but two Barcelona academies: one in Bishkek and another in Jalal-Abad, a city near the border of Uzbekistan.

Laporta won't be alone during this event, and interestingly, he won't even be the main attraction. This is because other football figures like Carles Puyol, Edgar Davids, Ludovic Guily, Rivaldo, and RONALDINHO are also present in Kyrgyzstan for a match against Asian Legends.

The iconic Brazilian player is anticipated to arrive on Tuesday, August 29th, and he has already greeted the people of Kyrgyzstan through an Instagram post.

Looking at the team gathered for the game, it's hard to deny that being in Kyrgyzstan right now wouldn't be exciting.

For Kyrgyzstan and the broader Central Asian region, this is a significant event. This area isn't particularly known for producing many skilled football players, but there is a strong interest in football.

This situation might change with the establishment of Barcelona's two new academies. This could also mean that many kids will no longer wear counterfeit Al Nassr jerseys with Ronaldo's name on them. Across Asia, the club already operates five academies in Japan, four in India, and one in Singapore.

The projected appearance of Barcelona's academy in Bishkek is quite impressive. It will feature a stadium that can hold 10,000 people, surrounded by a park, the academy itself, a hotel, a business center, and various other facilities.

It is hoped that the club will continue to expand its reach, potentially leading to the emergence of Kyrgyz talent in Barcelona's teams within the next 5 to 10 years.