This week marks the anniversary of a very special moment in Leisure Leagues history.

This week in 2017, the Trunkwala Family and World Group, brought Ronaldinho to Pakistan to mark the beginning of a journey which changed the face of football in Pakistan forever.

The Brazilian World Cup winner was joined by stars like Ryan Giggs and another World Cup winner, Robert Pires, to celebrate the “Ronaldinho and Friends” games to launch Leisure Leagues in Pakistan.

Those matches – in Karachi and Lahore –  attracted world record breaking crowds, as tens of thousands of supporters excitedly clamoured for a glimpse of some of the finest players ever to grace the sport.

That was just the beginning, though.

Since then, Leisure Leagues have sprung up in more than 80 cities throughout the Pakistan, the organisation has been lauded for their work in making the game accessible to women and they have appointed the first female league organiser in the country.

Even that is only part of the story.

From a pop up stadium that staged the 6 a side world cup final in Lisbon last year, to a diplomatic tournament that attracted the Greek Ambassador to Pakistan, and a national team that has risen  above India in the World Rankings, the influence of World Group extends throughout the sport of 6 a side football all over the world.

This has been seen in their astonishing social media reach. 340,000 plus likes on Facebook tells its own tale, but it has now been confirmed that Leisure Leagues Pakistan is now the fastest growing sports page in the whole of the country – an incredible feat when you consider the Cricket World Cup is still going on!

Now the next part of this wonderful adventure is set to begin, when a team of ordinary Pakistani’s from their local leagues, will be landing in Crete, carrying with them the hopes of a nation as they look to compete in the World Cup – and given the way the Pakistan people have embraced the sport, who knows what they can achieve?

Two years down the line, but nowhere near done, Pakistan is ready to take the lead in World Football.