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All roads led to Wembley Stadium on a cold November night in 2016. England were hosting Spain in an international friendly which promised to be a cracking affair.
The match starred sensational players like Jamie Vardy, Raheem Sterling and Sergio Busquets amongst others. But one particular 12-year-old's eyes flickered on the two opposite ends of the pitch. He saw Spain custodian Pepe Reina on one side and England goalkeeper Joe Hart on the other. Was it surprising, though?
That boy was Abhinav Mulagada, a tall and burly goalkeeper who trained with some top clubs in London at that time. He was one of thousands sitting at Wembley that night, admiring everything he saw about the game he loved. How the same kid would go on to play in that very stadium is a story worth listening to.
Sportskeeda got an opportunity to have a chat with Hyderabad FC's young goalkeeper Abhinav Mulagada. Playing for the Nizams' reserve team now, the 17-year-old became the first local player to be signed by the club last year.
With experience of playing the game in England, Abhinav's journey makes for an interesting story. He said:
"I was about nine years old when we moved to London from Hyderabad because of my father's transfer. In London, football was everywhere. It was something which really got my interest and I wanted to be a part of that culture."
The boy's talent was spotted at an early age when he used to play with kids of his age in the parks. Speaking about how his journey as a footballer began, Abhinav said:
"I was playing football in the local park one day with other kids. The father of one of the kids was watching us play and he came up to me and asked me about myself and everything. He then told me that one of his friends is the manager of a Sunday League club called Senrab FC and from there everything started. It was my first big step in the professional football setup."
But Senrab FC is not your ordinary Sunday League club. Founded in 1961, the club have seen players make it big after going through their ranks. The likes of Sol Campbell, John Terry and Ledley King have played for them in the past. Abhinav recounted his experience of meeting Terry:
"I got to meet John Terry who played for Senrab before he made it big. That was really good to know."
"I couldn't believe it" - Abhinav Mulagada on joining Chelsea's academy
Chelsea's history with Sunday League club Senrab FC is well documented. In 1970s, several Senrab players went on to sign for Chelsea, which even prompted Ray Lewington to nickname the club "Chelsea Juniors".
Seemingly, Senrab FC was the place where Abhinav Mulagada's talent was noticed by the Blues. He explained:
"I was playing one of the normal matches for Senrab FC, nothing special. One of the scouts from Chelsea was watching the match, actually. At that age, I had no idea what scouting was and I did not know that there were scouts at the game. Later on, he approached my father and talked to him."
Abhinav continued:
"My father then told me that I was invited for a six-weeks training program with Chelsea FC. I just couldn't believe it. After training for four weeks, Chelsea asked if we were willing to sign a contract for the U12 team."
Many elite footballers have gone through the famed gates of the Cobham Training Center in Surrey, where both the Chelsea senior and junior ISL teams train. Considered to be one of the best academies in the world, players like Tammy Abraham, Billy Gilmour, Reece James and Mason Mount were once part of Chelsea's youth
teams. Without a doubt, it was a big deal for our young goalkeeper to train in such hallowed grounds.
Speaking about his experience of meeting and watching some of the biggest stars of the footballing world train around them, Abhinav said:
"We used to train at Cobham (Chelsea Training Facility). Sometimes we trained opposite to the senior team. We used to meet all the players like Thibaut Courtois and Eden Hazard and watch them train. After we finished our training, sometimes we would just grab a sports drink to sit and watch the senior team play!"
After training with Chelsea for a few months, West Ham United came calling. It was with the Hammers that Abhinav got the opportunity to play in the prestigious Danone Cup, which was hosted at the iconic Wembley Stadium. He recollected:
"The season was about to end with Chelsea. There was a tournament happening in the Wembley Stadium- the Danone Cup and West Ham United were the only club from London to play in it. West Ham asked Chelsea if I could play for them in the Danone Cup. I then trained with them for two months."
Check out the ISL news here.
"There will be a day when I can reach the Hyderabad FC senior team" - Abhinav Mulagada
Abhinav's time in England ended when his family returned to Hyderabad due to work. The boy feared that his football career might come to an end in India due to lack of opportunities.
Upon landing in India, however, he was pleasantly surprised with the state of football in the country. The ISL was all he knew, and he continued to pursue a career in the sport he loved growing up.
It was not completely smooth, though. Abhinav went from Navi Mumbai to Bellary to Kolkata, giving trials at multiple clubs and academies. He attracted interest from Bengaluru FC and ATK FC (before the merger). Ultimately, Kolkata's charm convinced him to kickstart his career in India with ATK. He said in that regard:
"The whole city of Kolkata was filled with football. It was a really good place to be. The people of Kolkata treat football like a religion and I wanted to be part of it. That is why I chose ATK."
The COVID-19 pandemic, however, put a stop to all footballing activities globally. For youth players of ATK, the merger with Mohun Bagan further impacted their career adversely. Abhinav explained:
"In 2020, the pandemic happened. We were all sent back home and I was back to my home in Hyderabad. When the merger with Mohun Bagan happened, all the players were clueless because our contracts were dismissed. We got a letter saying that we were free to join any other team."
For about a year, the goalkeeper was without a club due to the COVID-19 situation. That was when Hyderabad FC conducted trials in the city for their reserve team. An opportunity came up for Abhinav and he grabbed it with both hands. He explained:
"I had talks with Hyderabad FC before. I was asked to attend the trials in Hyderabad for the reserve team. There was a huge turnout for the trials. I was selected and was called into the team. I was very happy to get the call from them telling me that I am a part of the club now."
Abhinav Mulagada has gained recognition, becoming the first local player to be signed by the club. Even though he is currently playing for the reserves, Abhinav is hopeful of breaking into Hyderabad FC's first team setup soon. He said:
"Hyderabad FC is looking forward to sending their players from the reserves into the senior team. It is great to see players who were with us in the reserves break into the senior team(Rabeeh and Zothanpuia). I am just doing my best and I know there will be a day when I can reach the senior team."
Abhinav has an ambition to play in Europe once again, this time at senior level. He knows it isn't easy, giving the example of Sandesh Jhingan returning back to the country from Croatia. While foreign lands remain unchartered territory for most Indian footballers, the same cannot be said for Abhinav.
If there is something which his career path has taught us, it is that nothing is impossible when your feet are on the ground and head is in the clouds.
