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Ever since Robin Singh began his professional football career with East Bengal, his name has become synonymous with the sport in India. Along with national team and Bengaluru FC strike partner, Sunil Chhetri, Singh will be one of the most sought after players in the Indian Super League auction on Monday.
“Last year I missed out on the ISL, this time I hope to prove myself to the world,” Singh said in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda. He added, “I did go on to win the I-league title that season and scored some important goals, so I don’t regret it at any point.”
The 25-year-old has been an integral part of both Wim Koevarmans and Stephen Constatntine’s national team plans. Having played in India’s recent World Cup qualifying loss to Guam, Singh thinks judging India’s performance based on a solitary game is unjustified.
“Would you judge any team’s performances by just one result? If you take a look at the current age of the team, I am the second oldest. It’s a team in transition and we will soon perform. The country needs to be more supportive, change will come,” he added.
The past few years has seen Singh experience a green patch in his career. Apart from the national team call-up and the I-league title, he has been consistently playing continental club football with both Bengaluru FC and East Bengal. Training with a UAE Pro League club has seen him develop an aerial ability, which has tormented every defensive line in the country. Now, his skills will be tested in Indian football’s marquee event, the ISL.
“Fitness is my strongest asset and I personally feel the ISL grind requires it. Every player who participates in the tournament is of the highest quality.”
When asked about his interests over joining a particular franchise, Singh said, “I will be grateful to any franchise that thinks I’m worthy enough to join their team, but I really want to work with Roberto Carlos, who can forget that free-kick?”
Indian Captain Sunil Chhetri is the most expensive player in the draft priced at Rs 80 lakhs. Singh himself will be commanding a price of Rs 40 Lakhs. The price tag will definitely see a lot of takers for the country’s number two striker at the moment.
The draft will see a total of 123 players will be part of both the auction and the draft, with eight franchises fighting it out for their signature. Only 40 of these players will go home with a contract and the chance to capture the country’s imagination.
However, it is important to be noted that only 10 Indian players will be a part of the auction, which is a separate entity.
Singh himself is optimistic about 2015, “Every season I keep a target of scoring 10 goals, now this season I am aiming for 15 with a host of goals in the ISL. Fingers crossed.”
From the streets of Noida to the Indian national team, Robin Singh’s career has seen an upward growth trajectory so far. With the ISL, I-league, World Cup qualifiers and AFC Cup all scheduled this year, Singh is definitely going to play a key role in Indian football’s rise from relative obscurity.
