Tuesday marked the beginning of the final countdown to the 2018 World Cup in Russia, with a countdown clock at the Kremlin in Moscow showing 100 days to go.

To celebrate the occasion, footballers past and present, including some of the legends of the game, created a chain of keepie-uppies that was all captured on video.

Diego Maradona, Ronaldo, Carlos Puyol, Peter Schmeichel, Carlos Valderrama and Saudi Arabia legend Sami Al Jaber were among the star names joining footballers from all around the world in showing off their skills on the ball.

And once the players were done, a surprise name became the last link in the chain – none other than Russian premier Vladimir Putin himself!

The World Cup begins on June 14, with Russia taking on Saudi Arabia in the opening fixture of the tournament.