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If I fall down again, I’m going to do it again the same way.
Komal Thatal's unassuming eyes and the ripeness in articulation lent credence to his utterance. The poster boy of India's sojourn in the FIFA U-17 World Cup, then rocking a faux blond mohawk and brimming with flamboyance, six years back had withered away, leaving behind a more refined and polished rendition.
With the most Hollywood-esque plotline, Thatal cherished some unthinkable highs - representing the country in the World Cup, months later making his Indian Super League (ISL) debut as the youngest ever then, and entering the history books as the youngest player to score in the league. But until you have kissed the nadir and sprung back to life, you haven't really lived. Or so the 23-year-old believes.
After two satisfactory seasons with the Kolkata outfit, a change of coach at ATK ignited a change of fortune for Thatal. The appearances that he was enjoying previously were frozen by then-head coach Antonio Habas in the 2019-20 season. With just five substitute appearances under his belt, the Sikkimese winger moved to Jamshedpur FC a season later in hopes of greener pastures.
Expectedly, Thatal started enjoying regular starts with the Red Miners, before a career-threatening hamstring injury derailed his ascend. For an observer, from that day onwards, it has seemed like a strangulating journey for the starlet, navigating between the recovery and relapse of the injury.
But in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Thatal, who very few still expect to be brimming with child-like positivity, reasoned:
"On the one side, it’s good that it happened because I started to learn a lot of things because of the injuries."
The Jamshedpur FC attacker, who's known to be a wily customer on the flanks, discussed in detail during the interaction the mental strain of battling injuries and most importantly, answered the question many of his aficionados have had over the last two seasons - 'Where is Komal Thatal?'.
Here are the excerpts from Sportskeeda's interview with Jamshedpur FC winger Komal Thatal:
Question: Firstly Komal, before delving deep into everything else, let’s start with how has the preparations been for the upcoming season. How do you feel going into it?
Komal Thatal: It’s been good. Everyone has been training well and hard for pretty long. So yeah, the team is in good shape.
Q: If you could tell me what exactly your pre-season looked like, as we know Jamshedpur’s first team didn’t participate in the Durand Cup, so in what capacity have you been training?
Thatal: As I said, we’ve been training for long, so in between there have been a lot of friendly games as well. Yeah, we didn’t participate in the Durand Cup but the friendlies have helped us to get up to pace.
Q: So, Komal, there’s a very amusing tweet that I came across a few months back. Someone had asked, “Where is Komal Thatal?” I was a little surprised you know. You were still playing at one of the top clubs in the country but fans maybe expected to see so much more of you in the coming years. So for them, could you answer where have you been?
Thatal: Well, obviously in any player’s career, there are always ups and downs. I’ve been recovering from some injuries as well. Whenever I come back I try to give my best but it’s always not in my hands to get on the field.
There are other factors involved as well. But from my end, I’m doing everything I can. Here and there I obviously got a few injuries and that played a major role in that as well. I am still working hard to get back fully fit. So that’s where I have been. (Smiles)
Q: The last two seasons have been extremely difficult for you I presume with the injury and the recovery process. Is it finally behind you? What has been the assessment?
Thatal: Yeah, I have come back from injuries so I have been training every day with the team now. I’m looking forward to this season and hoping that it goes well without any injuries. That’s the thing I want most for myself right now.
Q: Komal, could you talk a little bit about how difficult the recovery process has been mentally? What essentially does an athlete go through during such an episode?
Thatal: Firstly, the injury [back in 2021] was my first major injury since I started playing football. So the whole experience was new to me. My body was taking time to recover and all this while I was feeling ‘Woah, what’s happening!’ Then it happened again. So it wasn’t easy to figure out what was going on with your body.
Sometimes when you’re injured you tend to push more and worsen it or sometimes things don’t go well. So obviously it’s not a nice and clear pathway but it makes you learn a lot of things about your body and how to make yourself fit. On the one side, it’s good that it happened because I started to learn a lot of things because of the injuries.
Obviously, it’s not easy to deal with injuries for any athlete but it is what it is. But when it comes to you, you have to deal with it and that’s what I’m doing.
Q: Who were the people who helped you keep motivated during this period?
Thatal: It’s not about people. Firstly, whatever goes through after the injury it’s on you. I have to be there with my mind, ‘Okay, so it happened and now I have to overcome it’.
Once an athlete gets injured he gets left out when it comes to a lot of things. You can’t play regularly, you can’t train regularly, and you’re on the side doing your own thing. It has to be mentally on you.
Q: What have the conversations with new head coach Scott Cooper been like? Has he discussed the plans he has for you for the upcoming season?
Thatal: Right now, we don’t know much about how the team’s gonna play because it’s new for us and it’s new for the coach as well. Slowly, let’s see how things work but the first thing for me is to stay fit throughout the season. So my main focus right now is to remain fit and train every day, and then the rest is on him.
Q: This is a slightly different question, but whenever any athlete suffers an injury, mental conditioning needs to happen for them to strengthen themself and play again. So how have you been doing that?
Thatal: Look, it’s an everyday process. You have to do your small things when you’re injured. Sometimes you have to repeat the same things for a long time but you have to stay there so you can come back. Then you give an opportunity to coach, say ‘You can come here and trust me’.
Q: Komal, right from the build-up to the U-17 World Cup, there were a lot of expectations on your young shoulders. Have you ever felt personally that the weight of all these expectations was holding you back?
Thatal: No, it has nothing to do with that. As a footballer, what I’ve done is gone and played for myself. Tried to learn the new patterns and the new tactics. Then every coach has a different approach and I have to adapt to that, which I learned after the World Cup.
Obviously, to come to a professional football team, you have to do a lot of things that are beyond what you’ve done earlier. So I’m still learning, I’m still growing with it.
Q: A lot of your teammates from that World Cup are now established starters in their respective clubs. Meanwhile, your personal journey hasn’t been the smoothest sailing. So are you someone who is concerned about all this or are you focused on your own journey?
Thatal: Not at all. I am not someone to think about other people. It’s a good thing that they are doing well. When I see them playing it feels good. But my journey is my journey.
I have been through some things in my own way and they’ve been through things on their own. So there’s nothing like ‘Oh why they are playing and I’m not’. No! I am focused on myself. And whatever comes my way I’m gonna tackle it.
Q: How do you look back at the U-17 World Cup memory, Komal, from a very personal point of view?
Thatal: I only see the World Cup as an experience. It was a huge experience for me, my teammates, and even for the country. It has given me confidence. It has given me a lot of exposure. For me, it was just a step forward.
Q: What about your time at ATK? In three seasons combined, you had 15 ISL appearances, which obviously included plenty of matches from the bench.
Thatal: The first two seasons were good. I joined the club around mid-season in the January transfer window after the World Cup. For a youngster, those two seasons were quite alright as I was getting some game time. Scored a goal as well. It was going well then, but after that, the new coach came in.
When the coach changes, everything goes in a different path. That didn’t work out for me. Then I made the move to Jamshedpur FC and I started playing a lot more there but then the injury happened. Like I said, there isn’t a straight path where you can walk on.
Q: Immediately after the U-17 World Cup, you had plenty of other offers to select from. If given an opportunity would you make a different choice?
Thatal: No, no! That was one of the best chances for me. I was 17 at that time, and right after signing for the club, I got the chance to play. For someone of my age to go and play in the ISL was a big opportunity. I don’t regret anything that happened.
Q: While talking to you Komal, I have noticed a burst of positive mentality and outlook. From where did this emerge?
Thatal: When you go through life you see the highs and the lows. As a human being mistakes do happen, but from that, I learned a lot. ‘Okay, I have to wake up the next day, and go back with my chin up!’
Q: Your previous interview with Sportskeeda was back in October 2022. It was I think before the start of the season and you were obviously hopeful. But then the injury recurred and it was another setback. During this period what were your conversations with then head coach Aidy Boothroyd like?
Thatal: Last season, I had just come out of injury and was doing decently in the training. The coach had just come in. Then I started pushing myself harder and I again got myself injured.
That was a huge setback as other players were fit and they started playing regularly.
Q: Let’s come back to Jamshedpur FC. Obviously because of the injuries you haven’t been able to play as much as you would want for the club. But how has the club supported you during this period?
Thatal: Oh, the club has been great. They have supported me throughout!
Q: I think if there’s a cliche that the sports fans always love that’s a gold old comeback story. Is that something you’re eyeing Komal and how far along do you feel you are in that journey?
Thatal: Obviously! Since returning from the injury I have been putting in all the effort I can just to get on the field and feel that emotion again. On a regular basis, I mean, because I have been playing on and off.
From my end, that work and effort isn’t gonna end until I get there.
Q: What has been the most important lesson that life has taught you in the past few years?
Thatal: Whatever happens, you need to get up and go the next day, that’s where the opportunity is in.
Q: If you could enlist what are your targets for the near future?
Thatal: The first thing, as I mentioned before, is I don’t wanna get injured. I just wanna play, show up in every training, do everything I can, and rest it’s not on me. If you know football, you know it’s on the coach. But I’m hoping for good things!
Q: Komal, what would be your message for a lot of young athletes or footballers who might be struggling to find their feet as someone who has experienced some of the highest of the highs and also the lows?
Thatal: One thing I’ll tell is this, if you’re going through any sort of low it’s also important because you learn a lot of things. If it’s just smooth sailing, you won’t learn the other side of how things happen.
When things are good, everything is good, and everyone is good to you, but when you experience the other side, you learn about life and people. I feel having this journey is more beautiful.
The roads are bumpier but you just wanna continue working so it all becomes smooth once again. If I fall down again, I’m going to do it again the same way.
Q: A message for the JFC fans ahead of the upcoming season…
Thatal: Jamshedpur is a great place, every match they come out in great numbers. We as a team are working on it, and so am I as an individual. We wanna do good things because last season things didn’t work out.
So we want to make sure that the glory comes back. Want to give the fans something to cheer about this season.
Q: Finally Komal, I just couldn’t help but mention another amusing comment that came across a few days back. Someone had written ‘Streets will remember prime Komal Thatal’. Do you agree that we have seen the prime of Komal Thatal yet?
Thatal: Nah! I’m just 23, I have a long way to go. This is just the start for me. I have done nothing. This is where it starts. Today starts. So keep looking at it, the hope is always there.
