Chiang Rai’s Wild Boars Football Team Scrimmage with Los Angeles Galaxy’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic

LOS ANGELES – The Wild Boars football team, whose rescue from a cave in Chiang Rai captivated the world, trained with the Los Angeles Galaxy and their star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic on Friday in the latest stop of an international tour.

The young footballers, who earlier this month were guests at the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, were given a tour of the Galaxy’s StubHub Center stadium before training with members of the US Major League Soccer side at a nearby pitch.

The youngsters, aged between 11 and 16, were retrieved from the Tham Luang cave complex in July after a dramatic rescue effort involving hundreds of volunteers from around the world.

Friday’s visit to the Galaxy was set up by the US television star Ellen DeGeneres, who hosted the team on her show on Monday.

Former Sweden international Ibrahimovic had also appeared as a surprise guest to meet the team on the show.

“I thought I was brave, but these kids, this team, is braver than me. … This is probably the best team in the world,” Ibrahimovic said.

The rescue effort claimed the life of a rescue diver, former Thai Navy Seal Saman Kunan.