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Football in India has been on the rise, and we have seen a number of players who have gotten the chance to play in countries that are considered to be traditional heavyweights of football. To add to that, the growing relations between cubs in the ISL and other foreign clubs have helped facilitate such moves.
While most of the players who got such opportunities abroad eventually did come back to India as better players, some footballers, sadly, went into relative obscurity after their foreign sojourns. On that note, let's take a look at five such players who went abroad, but have not been able to make a mark in Indian football as of yet.
Varin Mehta
Although somewhat an unknown quantity back in the day, Varin Mehta created history by becoming only the fourth player in Indian football history to join a European club, when Belgian club Royal Antwerp FC signed the young striker. The then 21-year-old had big shoes to fill, as the only other Indians to have preceded him in this feat were none other than the likes of Mohammed Salim (Celtic), Bhaichung Bhutia (Bury FC), and Sunil Chhetri (Kansas City).
Mehta had signed a one-year contract with Royal Antwerp and mainly managed to play for the Belgian Second Division side’s reserves side. He did, however, manage to make it to the first team on a few occasions, although they were mainly in friendlies.
After his stint in Belguim, Varin struggled to find a place in the top flight of Indian football, and was last seen playing in the lower leagues in Mumbai.
Pratik Shinde
Pratik Shinde is another such player who had sparked off the imaginations of Indian football fans after he made it all the way across the world to America, to sign a contract with the Houston Hurricanes in 2014. Originating from the Kenkre Football Academy, Pratik had impressed with his performances as an attacking midfielder or a winger. While he had had a few offers from foreign clubs, Pratik could not sign for them as he failed to find a sponsor for his travel abroad.
While he soon moved to FC Pune City in the ISL, the youngster could not make a mark in the side and was released next year. Despite being released by Pune, he went back to Houston and signed for the Hurricanes. However, the Hurricanes ply their trade in the fourth tier of American football, and Shinde yet to make a mark in Indian football.
Ashique Kuruniyan
In a rather inspiring story of Indian football, Ashique Kuruniyan, who used to work in a sugarcane field earning only Rs 80 per month, had shot to fame after he landed a trial with ISL side FC Pune City. Kuruniyan went on to take a step further, as he landed a loan deal with Spanish side Villarreal FC’s ‘C’ side.
However, a hamstring injury meant that he had to return to Pune, where he has been trying to break into the first team this season. While he is yet to achieve that, Ashique did take his baby steps on his comeback trail from the injury, as he was brought on as a substitute in FC Pune City’s 3-1 home loss at the hands of Bengaluru FC.
Prosenjit Chakraborty
The AIFF Elite Academy graduate had made the headlines after he was one of the three footballers to be sent by the All India Football Federation for a trial at French club FC Metz. Interestingly, this is the same club from which France and Bayer Munich star winger Franck Ribery kicked off his career.
After the short stint, Prosenjit went on to sign for ISL club Chennaiyin FC, and was subsequently loaned out to I-League side Minerva Punjab last year. However, he was released by Chennaiyin FC after his return, from the loan spell, and has remained a free agent ever since.
Manish Maithani
In 2015, an informal partnership between FC Pune City and Victoria de Guimaraes meant that Manish Maithani, along with Israil Gurung, was afforded the opportunity to sign for the Portuguese club. They were initially signed for the Victoria B side, with the opportunity to train with the first team later on.
While Gurung has gone on to secure himself top-flight football at Churchill Brothers, Maithani’s fortunes have not been as kind.
Manish, who had played for Kolkata giants like Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting, returned to India after four months and was subsequently parted ways with FC Pune City last year. Now, the defensive midfielder is playing for I-League 2nd Division side Southern Samity.
