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When the Indian football team led by Sunil Chhetri will take the field against Thailand on January 6, Mohammed Rafique will probably sit at home and watch the match on TV, thinking he might have been there in India’s most important tournament in recent times.
Rafique is another victim of Stephen Constantine’s ‘stick-to-the-core’ policy. As everyone knows, the British coach doesn’t want to tinker much with his squad, picking up more or less the same members for every tournament, ignoring their performances.
You could take the example of Rahul Bheke, Michael Soosairaj and many others who missed the flight to UAE. You could wonder why there is Sumeet Passi and Jeje Lalpekhlua who haven't performed in the ISL as was expected.
Of course, Rafique doesn’t have that kind of performances to show which makes him an automatic choice. But given his experience, he could’ve been an added advantage to the side, with his role in the central midfield position.
But it was Constantine under whom Rafique had made his debut, in the World Cup qualification match against Turkmenistan on March 29, 2016. In his third match, Asian Cup qualifiers second leg match against Laos, he scored his first and only goal for the country. It was the only match where he played the full 90 minutes.
Thereafter, he regularly featured for his country, playing in Asian Cup qualifiers, coming on as a substitute every time. He had even played in the Intercontinental Cup.
“I don’t know why the coach has not selected me. I was in the team for the Intercontinental Ccup. Our performance was very good. But then suddenly I found myself out of the team. Obviously, I would’ve been happy to be in the Asian Cup squad. But now I will work hard to get back into the team,” Rafique told Sportskeeda on the sidelines of an event in Kolkata.
He might be out from the national scheme for quite some time, but his stint with Mumbai City is going really well. He spent two seasons on loan to ATK. He scored the only goal in the 2014 final which helped ATK (formerly Atletico de Kolkata) win the title.
Surprisingly, he was initially not picked by ATK in the next season and was only included just a few days ahead of the season opener. Next season, two other footballers were preferred over him and Rafique went to Kerala Blasters, where he helped his team reach the ISL final only to lose to ATK for the second time.
Rafique didn’t play in the previous season of the ISL as he was busy with East Bengal. After parting ways with the red and gold, the midfielder joined Mumbai City FC this season, who are really playing well this time around and sitting in the second position of the league table. Rafique though, hasn’t scored a goal yet, but he is certainly enjoying his time with the new club.
“There is a positive mood within the camp. We hope we will qualify for the playoffs. Our coach Jorge Costa had won Champions League with Porto. He was the captain of that team. So, we have deep respect for him. He understands his players well and you all see how Mudou Sougou transformed himself in the last few days,” said Rafique.
It is the coach who transformed a winning mentality into the side after the morale-sapping 0-5 loss against FC. Since then, Mumbai are unbeaten in their last eight matches. So what did the coach tell them after that loss?
“He invited everyone personally and discussed so many things. He asked to forget what happened against Goa. He wanted us to play in a particular strategy, which we did in the practice sessions. We attended some video analysis classes. That helped us to rectify our mistakes,” the former Kerala Blasters player said.
Even after achieving things, Rafique hasn’t forgotten his roots. His heart still beats for East Bengal. On a Derby, he is as tensed as any other supporter. Rafique’s only goal in a Kolkata Derby happened on September 4, 2015. East Bengal won the match by 4-0 as Do Dong Hyun stole the limelight with a brace.
Even on Sunday, he kept an eye on the match. He was not able to watch it completely as Mumbai was scheduled to play against Kerala Blasters a couple of hours later and Rafique had to concentrate on the match. “But when I came back, I checked my phone and saw East Bengal won the match. It was a different satisfaction for me,” Rafique said, putting up a smile on his face.
“Obviously I enjoy playing in Kolkata. This is after all my home. But as a professional, you have little choice. On that note, I am enjoying my stint with Mumbai City,” Rafique signed off.
