Patrice Evra opens new football facilities

Despite having played for a whole host of clubs in his career, Patrice Evra is arguably best known for his stint with Manchester United.

His eight-year stint at the club saw him see out the final seasons of Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign at Old Trafford, with Evra having picked up a lot of silverware as a key part of the United side.

Between 2006 and 2014, he helped The Red Devils win five Premier League titles, the Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup, and seven domestic trophies, playing 379 games across all competitions.

Now, despite having left Old Trafford 12 years ago, the former left-back was on duty for his former club to open up a new pitch in one of the world’s most geographically isolated communities.

BBC Sport has reported that Patrice Evra was there on behalf of United, alongside their long-term commercial partner DHL, to open the professional-grade, all-weather pitch.

Situated in Mae Suek, Thailand, 11,577 people live in the region across 11 villages, with a 140km round trip to Chiang Mai as the nearest major city.

What’s more, it’s a two and a half hour round trip to the nearest functional football pitch due to the extreme weather that hit the local fields, making them unusable.

Now, as part of the “Delivering Dreams” campaign, launched earlier this month, Patrice Evra helped DHL and United take their first steps to make football accessible to some of the world’s most isolated communities.

Commenting on the development and the experience, Evra explained: “When I saw the smiles on the kids’ faces when they played on this beautiful football pitch for the first time, it was a moment I won’t forget.”

He continued: “When I was that age, I didn’t have the opportunity or luxury to play on that kind of pitch.

“It’s an amazing campaign and an honour to be chosen to cut the cord and be the first one playing on the pitch with those kids.”

This marks United further extending their reach across Asia after taking the squad on a post-season tour of Asia, playing against the ASEAN All-Stars in Malaysia, and then taking on the Hong Kong national side.