My Journey as a Footballer - The Story So Far...

Now before any misconceptions that the topic might trigger, let me first clarify that I am NOT the next CHristiano Ronaldo - not by a long stretch :P. Takes some balls ( and probably some self respect) to admit it, but although I was (and am) a good and competitive sportsperson, I was never a child prodigy or anything. That, and combined with the obsession with Engineering, Medicine and Higher Studies by the Powers that be, (read: family) I played for my school and now play in my University team. But football has been a part and parcel of my life for so long... in fact as I admitted recently, it was my first crush. We have been going steady since :D

Am in a very nostalgic mood, and have just realized how much the sport football, has shaped my life course. I've been playing since my childhood, and still remember getting into the school team with absolutely no experience and that too, after my very first training session. I was selected for the role of a center-back, to the left, partnering Bhavesh in defense. My school, Apeejay Nerul, had a decent team, I remember I was 11 years old at the time.

Most of the matches of the NML, the Navi Mumbai (or New Bombay) League U-12, in that year, 2000, were held in our school grounds. I don't remember much of the matches, except that I broke my glasses during a game with St.Mary's. We had white jersys, and navy blue shorts... since it was my first tournament, I didn't have a jersey of my own, so borrowed Yadnesh's, who had in fact introduced me to the sport.

Anyways, we reached the finals that year, but lost to St.Lawrence 2-0. Our best player and captain, Aditya Giriyalkar, was a guy of outstanding speed and agility. I think he scored in all the games we played. I still remember the blue jerseys of the Lawrence team...and in fact, when the final whistle blew, I was the guy with the last touch.

It was heart-wrenching, to lose in the finals... but back then, I wasn't so experienced that I felt by any measure I had not played well. I thought I was so-so, playing my role to perfection, but probably not flexible enough to help out with the attack at any point.

Anyway, I'll be posting more about my other tournaments ( or what I can remember of them), and delve a little deeper into the sport that defined my life.

Also note - the picture above is NOT my school team from U-12, but I don't think I have any pics from that time, or of the team... this one's of a team I played for later in my life - The Galactico Football Club. But more on that later..... :)