The International Federation of Teqball (FITEQ) was founded in 2017, and Pires - who is an ambassador for the organisation - discussed his four-year involvement in the sport with insidethegames.

"I love the table because you can work on your technique, your ability, finding your right balance, and this is good because sometimes you can play for fun, and today I'm very happy to be here because this is the World Championships in Poland," he said.

"This [teqball] is a good development, it's a new sport of course, maybe the people don't know about the table, about the name, but I'm here as an ambassador to talk about the new sport because it's very important for the development.

"I'm an ambassador like Carles Puyol, like Nuno Gomes, of course the most famous is Ronaldinho, but this is important for everybody, especially with teqball.

"We are here for the World Championships, we can watch the finals on TV live this afternoon, so it's amazing for teqball."

Pires followed up success with France on home soil at the 1998 World Cup by helping his country secure the trophy at the UEFA European Championships in 2000.

His successful club career is best known for a seven-year spell at Premier League club Arsenal, where he won two league titles and finished as UEFA Champions League runner-up in 2005-2006.

The versatility of the teq table is one of its biggest appeals to Pires, who cited examples of how it can be and is used in professional football settings.

"Even for me, teqball is good because we need to work hard every day on technique," the FITEQ ambassador said.

"I repeat the same word, but ability is the most important, to control the ball, so that's why this [teq] table is very good.

"I know for example Arsenal bought four tables, so this is good news of course for teqball, but I think all of them, the [football] clubs, need the table because you can work on these tables.

"You can play for fun between the players, you can organise a tournament in the dressing room, you can put the table in the dressing room.

"This table, it's good but it's not only for the football professional.

"You can put this table in the schools, it's perfect for everybody."

Separate women's singles and doubles events featured at the Teqball World Championships for the first time in its four editions this year.

Pires believes it is indicative of the wider progress made by the sport since its founding.

"I think the development is on a good way, all of them they practice, they raise the level more and more higher," he commented.

"It's good news to see the women's practise teqball [at the World Championships], because some of the ladies have very good technique, very good ability, so I think this is good news for teqball.

"Some of the countries or the players, they need to work, they need to practice to maybe reach the level like Hungary, but this is good for all of the players especially today because today is a special day.

"We are here for the finals in Gliwice, and I hope the people will enjoy the finals."

FITEQ hold ambitions for teqball to feature at the Olympic Games, and Pires talked up that goal, arguing there is work to do but there is great potential for the sport to grow further.

"The mission for teqball is to develop teqball in the countries like Germany and the UK [United Kingdom] because in the UK the people love football so much, and this is a very good table to work [on], to practice, but I think teqball are on a very good way.

"The next target is to be part of the Olympic Games, so this is, of course, the big, big objective, but they need to work hard to reach this dream because this a dream for the founders of the teqball, so I think everything is possible.

"I hope for teqball to play one day at the Olympic Games.

"The objective for today is to watch the great finals, and the great players.

"Now the world is on social media, so that's why they need to put it on the TV so the people can watch, because it's very spectacular.

"Some of the guys have very good technique, very good skills, so the next step for teqball is to join the Olympic Games."

FITEQ's flagship four-day event drew to a close today with finals in the men's, women's and mixed doubles competitions, and Pires featured in an exhibition match on the main table.

He played alongside his compatriot and men's singles runner-up Julien Grondin against the Polish home favourites Adrian Duszak and Bartłomiej Frańczuk.