Six Manipuri footballers in India squad:
New Delhi: Renedy, Surkumar and Gouramangi Singh have become vital cogs in the Indian football team but the Manipuri trio feel that they were lucky to get the break at a young age in big clubs of Kolkata, Goa and Mumbai.
All three hail from nondescript places in Manipur but thanks to age group tournaments and TFA talent scouting they rose to become key members of the Indian team which booked an 2011 Asian Cup berth after winning the AFC Challenge Cup.
"Six Manipuris were in India's AFC Challenge Cup squad of 23 and lots of Manipuris are playing in other top clubs of the country. But in absence of corporate sector to sponsor clubs in Manipur, you have to play outside the state to get noticed. The passion for football and chance spotting by talent scouts had taken me this far," said Renedy, the seniormost India player after captain Baichung Bhutia.
Born at a football family at Sekmai near state capital Imphal, Renedy tried his luck at the U-12 National Talent Search tournament in 1989 where he caught the eyes of TFA talent scouts which changed the course of his life.
"I was a bit lucky to have got the breakthrough at a young age without much difficulty. I owe my success to TFA in a big way," said the 29-year-old, the first Manipuri who played regularly for India.
He spent six years from 1990 at TFA and got the break in a big club when he joined Mohun Bagan in 1996 as a 17-year-old before spending three years from 1997 with East Bengal. He debuted for India senior team at the age of 20 in the Asian Cup qualifiers in 1999 against UAE.
India right back Surkumar's tryst with stardom began at 14 when he was scouted by TFA after a national U-16 tournament in Allahabad in 1997 and he confessed he was initially not considered a good prospect in Jamshedpur.
He spent three years at TFA before joining East Bengal in 2000. He returned to the same club in 2003 and is playing for the club since last season. In between he was with Mahindra United of Mumbai for five years and debuted for India in the World Cup qualifiers against UAE in 2001 when he was just 18.
"My uncle was instrumental for my making it to state squad for U-16 Nationals in Allahabad and there TFA scouts spotted me," said the 25-year-old Manipuri from Khurkhul near Imphal.
Surkumar now feels that youth of the country can now take up football as a career with the players getting good salary these days.
"A footballer's career is short no doubt, but with 35-40 lakh salary a year we can also have a career. Some other footballers are getting more than this," he said.
Young India central defender Gouramangi Singh, who hails from the same place as Renedy, was picked by a TFA talent scout team in 2000 when he was just 14 years of age.
From TFA, he went to Dempo in 2004 where he spent one year and was with Mahindra in 2005 and with Churchill Brothers since 2006-07. He debuted for India as substitute against Indonesia in 2003 in a friendly match.
Gouramangi was not a India regular for a couple of years and he shot into limelight in the Nehru Cup last year and in the recent AFC Challenge Cup with he and Anwar doing a fantastic job at the backline in the absence of seniors Mahesh Gawli and Deepak Mondal.
"If you are in TFA and you have the talent you can make it big. It happened to me and I am indebted to TFA for my achievements," said Gouramangi who is now 22.
Having tasted success, the youngster now wants to play abroad if any such offer comes, an idea coach Bob Houghton had been encouraging his charges.
"The Asian Cup in 2011 would be a big stage, we will be watched by the agents of top clubs of Asia and I will be game to join one of them if offered though I have to take advice of seniors," said Gouramangi, the youngest of the trio.
All the three have one more common thing -- they spoke highly of coach Bob Houghton.
"I have been in Indian team for nearly ten years and played under different coaches but he is the best. Frankly, many a times I don't want to go for training for my clubs but not for a single day I had not felt like that under Bob," Renedy said.
Source: Press Trust of India (PTI)
