Around fourteen years ago, the city of Jamshedpur welcomed a young boy into the Tata Football academy. Little did we know that; this boy would turn out to be one of Indian football’s greatest servants.
The fact that both the player and the club he began his career with, are 29-years old is a startling coincidence. A day after receiving his Arjuna Award, Subrata Pal spoke about India’s chances against a higher ranked Puerto Rican side.
“I think in order to have a chance of qualifying for the Asia Cup we must challenge ourselves against higher ranked teams. That is why our federation selected Puerto Rico. It’s a very good opportunity for us, because if we can win the match, we have a chance to improve our ranking”, he said.
Pal also had the opportunity to chat with India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi at the Arjuna Award ceremony. He didn’t reveal whether he had chai with the PM, but he had this to say, “Firstly he congratulated me. He shared his email id with me and spoke about ambitions to improve all sports in the country. He has asked me to send him a mail about ways to improve the football in India.”
“Football is the biggest sport in the world. He is trying a lot to develop football in India. Even the sports minister said they are going to focus on improving football in India”, said the twenty-nine-year-old.
Mumbai will host an international football match after 61 long years and Subrata felt positive after practicing at the Andheri Sports Complex stadium, “It’s a different feeling for me, especially because I am very attached to Mumbai. I always loved to play in Mumbai. The whole team is very excited to play here”, he beamed.
Pal believes the fans will play an important role in their match against Puerto Rico, “I know the crowd of Mumbai. They’re amazing. My friends are coming to watch the game. I have many friends here. We’re expecting a full house”, he said.
The keeper believes that the sky is the limit for Indian football, “Indian football has to rise at any cost. There has been lots of improvement. Hopefully in 5-6 years, we can see India as a super power of football in Asia”, said a confident Pal.
Lastly, Subrata spoke positively about his compatriot and fellow keeper, Gurpreet Singh, who has taken over as India’s number 1 keeper, “There are always challenges. All of us were born with a challenge. When we enter the world we don’t bring anything with us and when we leave this world, we can’t take anything.”
“Before me, there was a number 1, it had to happen that there would be someone after me. I appreciate Gurpreet because he has also played for international clubs. I appreciate the coach’s decision. If I get a chance, I will perform. The coach thinks Gurpreet should play now and I am sure the coach has thought well”, he concluded.
