Indian winger Faisal Ali ready to prove himself in the ISL amid interest from multiple clubs

"It was difficult," Faisal Ali said, almost taking an extended pause as he grappled for the right words. "Probably a little too difficult," the 23-year-old muttered. The former Mohammedan SC winger was deep into the conversation about his early days in football.

Despite coming from a humble background, Faisal didn't let his surroundings dictate his footballing journey. In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, the Kolkata-born footballer narrated how he always believed he would make the cut in Indian football.

Maybe it was this undying confidence that pushed Faisal to balance school, tuition, a part-time job in a medical store, and his football training. Ali averred:

"But I never gave up and hence have been able to play the little bit I have so far."

For someone who hasn't played in the youth division, Faisal's rise has been meteoric since joining Southern Samity. The youngster himself admitted that without the support and trust the Calcutta Football League side had shown in him, Ali wouldn't have reached the heights he has today.

After a brief and successful spell with Southern Samity, Faisal signed for I-League second division team Bhawanipore FC. However, the move didn't go as planned or maybe it did. The right-winger didn't start many games, warming the benches quite often. But just before the final day of the season, Faisal received a call from an anonymous number asking him to meet in a hotel room if he wanted to sign for Mohammedan SC.

For the majority of the call, Faisal wondered what most would if one of the country's biggest clubs approached you despite not getting starts at your current club - that this must be an elaborate prank. Only, it wasn't. The Black Panthers may have seen something that others might have missed. Faisal put pen to paper and then started his journey with the Kolkata giants.

Faisal's first year at Mohammedan wasn't the smoothest run as the Kolkata giants finished sixth in the I-League standings. But the youngster got a lot of valuable minutes under his belt, which might have prepared him for his breakthrough 2021-22 season.

Under head coach Andrey Chernyshov, Faisal became a crucial part of the attacking puzzle as he was utilized as a ball-carrier by the Russian gaffer. His work rate and dazzling skills continued to impress everyone.

The Indian Super League clubs immediately took notice and, since then, they have been circling in a bid to land his signature. Faisal, as Sportskeeda can confirm, has already picked his next destination and now what his admirers will await with pleasure is to witness his ISL journey. The youngster, exuding confidence, underlined that he was ready to make the jump into the top-tier of Indian football.

Before Faisal writes the next chapter, here are excerpts of his interaction with Sportskeeda, discussing his ardous footballing journey so far.

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Question: Firstly, Faisal, this has been a very important season for you with Mohammedan SC. The club won the CFL after 40 years, then finished runners-up in the Durand Cup and also in the I-League. How do you look back at this season?

Faisal Ali: For any team that plays in the Durand Cup final, become CFL champions and finish runners-up in the I-League in a single season, it’s obviously a great achievement. I think it would’ve been better for me and the club to end the season as I-League champions.

But when I compare it to my previous season at Mohammedan SC, it was definitely better than that. We finished the 2020-21 season in sixth position and couldn’t even win the CFL title. But we fought very well in all the competitions this season.

Q: If you compare this season to the 2020-21 season, what improvements or changes did you see in the team?

Faisal: When I first signed with Mohammedan, there was some trouble with the head coach position. First, we had a Spanish coach [José Carlos Hevia] but he was only there for a few days before being replaced by Sankarlal [Chakraborty]. So there wasn’t any balance or understanding in the team. Players and coaches kept coming and going.

But this year, we had a set team and a head coach until the very end of the season. This allowed us, players, to get to know each other better. In football, understanding is obviously very important, and as that kept growing, the team performed better.

Q: And what personal improvements did you see in the last year, football-wise?

Faisal: When I signed with Mohammedan SC in 2020, I didn’t have the experience of playing in the I-League. If a player doesn’t have the experience or confidence, then he can’t play his natural game and tends to be scared. Hence, my performance last year wasn’t the very best.

But in the second year, I grew in confidence and the club started to feel like a home. If you have been at any club for close to two years, they automatically become like family to you. I also had a very good bond with all the club officials, the coaches and the players, so I had a lot of opportunities to improve.

Q: I wanted to talk to you about your journey into football. How did you get into the game first?

Faisal: I started playing from a very young age, Class seven or eight maybe. I don’t belong to a well-to-do family, and even now I am trying to establish myself. At that time, I had to attend classes, study, and then I was also working part-time in a medical store.

So to continue football practice at that time was very difficult. I used to wake up, go to school, then work in the medical store and then go for training in the evening. It was difficult (pauses), probably a little too difficult. But I never gave up and hence have been able to play the little bit I have so far.

Q: Were your parents supportive of you playing football?

Faisal: As I mentioned, I am not from a well-off family. My parents used to keep telling me "Don’t play, there’s a lot of injuries in football. If you get hurt, how will we afford your treatment? Study and focus on the future."

And I’m from Park Circus [in Kolkata] and we didn’t have any professional players from our area. If we had one, I would’ve been able to follow in his footsteps. But we didn’t have any. I used to secretively play football so my parents didn’t find out. Hide my boots and jersey at my friend’s place because if my mom saw those, she wouldn’t let me go.

But now my mom doesn’t say anything, I play openly (laughs).

Q: Growing up, who were your footballing idols?

Faisal: Yes, when I was young I used to follow Ronaldinho a lot. Then obviously I have followed [Cristiano] Ronaldo, [Lionel] Messi, and Neymar, but first was Ronaldinho.

Q: Could you talk about your time with Southern Samity and then your move to Bhawanipore?

Faisal: In my career, whatever level I’ve reach, my time at Southern Samity was the foundation of that journey. Sourav [Pal] sir there helped me a lot on and off the field. Be it by providing financial aid or giving me game time. I still go there to meet with sir and even last week I went to meet their players. My relationship with the club is still very good. I don’t know if I would’ve reach the levels I have, had I signed for another club.

I was so young when I signed with Southern Samity and I hadn’t played any division football. So for them to play a young player directly in Premier B would have been very difficult. But I proved myself.

Then from Southern Samity, I went to the Santosh Trophy Bengal team and then from there to Bhawanipore.

Q: Being from Kolkata itself, what was it like to sign for a giant club like Mohammedan? What did it feel like when they approached you?

Faisal: That feeling I can’t explain. I was in Bhawanipore back then and I wasn’t getting any game time. I hadn’t started a single match in the I-League second division. So honestly, I didn’t have much to show for it.

In Indian football, there’s a certain value and respect put in the name of East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan. Every Bengali has that dream of playing for these three clubs. So when they approached me, at first I thought they were joking. I got a call from an unknown number and they said, "Would you want to play for Mohammedan SC?".

I thought it was some kind of a joke. It was the last match of the league and I was staying in the Hyatt Regency Hotel. They said, "Come to this room number, we want to talk to you." I kept thinking it was some prank because I hadn’t started a single match that season. In football, if you don’t get game time at your club it’s very difficult for players to find the next club. So then I went, and I was shocked that I had so little experience in I-League 2 but one of the top I-League clubs had signed me.

But I think that incident also made me a lot more serious about football. I said to myself, "You didn’t play a single match in the I-League second division but now you’re in I-League and you have to work hard." I always thought if I didn’t have the chance to play in I-League 2 I would have some shortcomings. I tried to fill those gaps with my hard work.

Q: The 2020/21 season wasn’t the best for Mohammedan but you continued to impress. What did your first season in the I-League teach you?

Faisal: In my debut match against Sudeva Delhi FC, I scored. I was buzzing with confidence. Mohammedan SC were playing in the I-League after so many years, and it was me who scored the first goal of their campaign in my debut game. So there was a lot of support from the fans, coverage from the media and that really helped my confidence level.

The most important thing I learnt was to keep myself fit. The I-League season is not just long, but the recovery time is very less. So I had to maintain my sleep schedule, my diet, and learn how much rest I needed. Before that, we used to just keep playing games.

Q: Speaking about the recently concluded season, how was it working under head coach Andrey Cherenyshov? What were his inputs like?

Faisal: Cherenyshov Sir helped me a lot. He used to guide me on and off the field. Instructed me to keep the ball more on my left foot as it’s my strong foot. We were playing counter-attacking football, and he used to tell me, "Don't lose the ball too much because then we can concede on the counter."

Q: Also, you had the experience of sharing a dressing room with some quality foreign players like Henry Kisseka, Marcus Joseph, and Nikola Stojanovic. So what was that like?

Faisal: It was a great feeling. These guys are very senior and experienced players, but they never acted differently to the younger players. As teammates, we used to have a lot of fun.

Marcus was the one who used to guide me a lot! I used to fool around a little bit in practice sessions, so he advised that I should be a lot more serious as I have the quality to do better. During practice sessions, any time I would make a mistake, Marcus would get a little angry and keep saying that I have the potential to reach higher. If someone is telling you something, so many times and you still don’t listen, he might feel you don't respect him. So I tried to change myself.

Q: Although Mohammedan failed to win the match and the I-League, could you talk about the emotions of playing in front of a jam-packed Salt Lake Stadium with the fans cheering for you?

Faisal: This is an experience I’ll never forget in my life. This was my last match for Mohammedan SC. Nobody else did, but I knew. It would’ve been my last title for Mohammedan too, which is why I regret not winning the I-League. I sat on the reserves bench and when Gokulam scored first, I became teary-eyed. I have never before asked a coach to bring me on. But that day I did. I told him, "I want to play coach, put me on." I’ll never forget those emotions. I had gone into the pitch to give my 200 percent but sadly, the result was not in our favour.

Q: After two seasons in the I-League, do you think you’re ready to jump to the ISL now?

Faisal: I have always kept myself ready for that. I always try to prepare myself for every situation but let’s see. I am just keeping myself fit so that wherever I get an opportunity, in the ISL or I-League, I can prove myself.

Q: You’re just 23 still, and there is already a lot of interest from ISL clubs. Did you ever imagine this when you started out at Southern Samity?

Faisal: From the very beginning, I was always confident that I could play in Indian football. Not that I thought I would become some great player, but I had the confidence to believe that I could manage in I-League, ISL or any Indian-level football. I just had to work hard and keep my focus.

Q: What would be your target or goal in the upcoming years?

Faisal: My only target or goal is to represent the Indian national team, nothing else.