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Sreenidi Deccan FC's goalkeeper Aryan Lamba has a story to tell. Being among the chosen few professional footballers hailing from Gujarat, the lanky lad is one of a kind.
Yet, when Lamba stepped up to the task assigned to him between the goalposts by head coach Carlos Vaz Pinto against East Bengal in the Kalinga Super Cup recently, his mind was focused.
"At such times, the best thing a player can do is stay calm and focused. Yes, there are nerves, and there is also the anxiety of what the future holds, but thankfully, I was calm and managed to ward the threat away from our defence," Lamba said in an exclusive interaction with Sportskeeda.
For context, East Bengal, having secured a 2-0 lead in the first half, unleashed a barrage of shots at the Deccan Warriors' goal to secure the third and put the game to bed. While they did manage to weave past the latter's close-knit defensive line, Lamba proved to be a barrier too steep even for Carles Cuadrat's men.
A volley of close-range shots followed but Lamba, quick to notice the shots and agile beyond measure, thwarted any plans the Torchbearers had.
The performance was bound to give the young shot-stopper a lot of confidence even though the Deccan Warriors ended up on the losing side. William Alves converted a penalty later on in the game, but it was not enough for them to pull back a point.
"Yes, that performance did give me a lot of confidence, and I was happy to have contributed to the team's cause," Lamba continued. "It was important for me to stay switched on till the final moments of the game, and thankfully, it helped my cause on that day. I had to react quickly to ward those shots away from the target, and since I was switched on and focused, I could do it without much fuss."
To be sure, this was not the first occasion when Aryan Lamba stepped up to perform his role with impeccable ease and tenacity. In the last edition of the Super Cup, Sreenidi surprised all and sundry with the major upset they pulled over Kerala Blasters by beating them 2-0. Four days ago, they played out a 1-1 stalemate with Bengaluru FC in the same competition.
Lamba had been the chosen custodian of the Deccan Warriors in both games and performed his task in a faultless manner. Coach Pinto was visibly impressed by what he saw from the Ahmedabad lad.
This year, Sreenidi pulled off a similar upset when they beat their cross-town rivals Hyderabad FC 4-1 in the first-ever Hyderabad derby on 19 January. With major results coming the Deccan Warriors' way continuously, it will be harsh to refer to them as upsets anymore.
"Working hard in training has reaped its rewards, that is all I can say. There are a lot of specifics that we work upon in training, and when they come to fruition in a match, it makes me very happy," Lamba added.
"I wish to keep giving such performances every time I walk out onto the pitch for my club. I want to contribute to my team's cause as much as possible and push them towards winning the I-League so that we can get promoted into the ISL next season. And just like any other boy playing football, I want to wear the blue jersey of the national team one day," he elaborated.
"Goalkeeping coach Rafael Gracio is like a father figure to me" - Aryan Lamba
One of the biggest reasons behind Lamba's exponential rise in the pantheons of the I-League and Super Cup is the hard work that he and his coaches at Sreenidi Deccan put in behind the scenes.
The club's goalkeeping coach Rafael Gracio is a man whom Lamba credits with his growth. The former has played a vital role in coaching him, both in football and life.
"Coach Rafael is like a father figure to me. He has tailored specific training sessions for me and worked on things that he thought I need improvement in. He even appointed a sports psychologist for me to work with before the Super Cup last season. I have learnt a lot from him, both in football and life," Lamba said.
While Aryan Lamba spoke highly about Gracio's impact on his life, the latter too recognises his star pupil for being one of the hardest workers at the club.
"Aryan has improved a lot since he came 3 years ago to Sreenidi Deccan. For his age, he has already performed in a lot of games both in the I-League and the Super Cup. This must have given him a lot of confidence; it has also helped his development process as a young player," Gracio said.
However, much before Rafael Gracio came into his life, Lamba was spotted by former India goalkeeping coach Rogerio Ramos. The Brazilian was among the first to recognise his talent and teach him the nuances of the art of goalkeeping.
"Ramos was coaching the Indian goalkeepers and he used to post a series of videos on YouTube when I was 13-14. One day, I sent him an email and being the modest man that he is, he asked me to come over to Goa and train with him for a while. He taught me the basics of goalkeeping and helped me out immensely in developing my technique," Lamba added.
Aryan Lamba has a promising future ahead of him, and if his arc continues the way it has so far, he may not be far from recreating what his childhood heroes Subrata Pal and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu have been renowned for doing - wearing the number one jersey and doing well for India between the goalposts.
