One of Brazil's top soccer stars will be teaming up with one of China's greatest musicians and sportscasters to host a Chinese online variety show.
On Monday, it was announced that Brazil soccer star Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, or Kaka, will be joining musician Gao Xiaosong and sportscaster Su Dong as one of the hosts of 'World Cup Passion.'
The show is the first of its kind in China and will be bringing in celebrities from the sports and showbiz world as part of the campaigns for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Its episodes will be shown in Youku from May 14 with each new episode available from noon on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Gao revealed that he has played soccer and table tennis with Kaka on the show and was surprised to discover that the Brazilian star is quite good with a table tennis paddle. He said, "Unlike what I'd once imagined, Kaka is very easy-going, low-profile and has a good sense of humor. He also knows a lot about Russian culture and history."
The musician and composer also shared that his works have been inspired by Russian culture, saying "I've grown up listening to Russian songs and watching Russian films. For me, Russia is like a familiar relative who has stayed with me for many years."
Su, on the other hand, shared that the crew toured four Russian cities to film some of the sequences of the show and even shot on harsh temperatures like in their scenes in Kazan, which recorded a -25 C temperature.
Both Gao and Su appeared for the promotional event of the show last week.
