No Melbourne contract this time, but Indian player wins Hearts

Budding

In the past month, football really has become the world game – the increased interest in football as a result of the FIFA World Cup has hit every part of the planet, and India is no exception. Trying to make a career out of football in India is no easy feat – however 24-year old defender Gouramangi Singh is doing just that: an aspiring young footballer about whom we will definitely hear more in the future.

Gouramangi recently toured Australia, trialling with the Melbourne Heart Football Club for two weeks. He was an instant hit with the head coach, John van’t Schip who said, “Gouramangi made a real impression on the coaching staff throughout his trial with the club, showing great spirit and character in the way he conducted himself”. He is the first non-striker to have been offered a trial to prove their worth outside the subcontinent, but unfortunately circumstances prevented him from joining the club formally and creating a little piece of India-Australia football history.

However as his agent Lyndon Miranda put it, “He’s still young, just 24. They already have defenders who have played for clubs such as Manchester City. He’d only be on the bench, so it makes more sense for him to train with India.” In fact, Gouramangi would have had to compete for game time with players like former Socceroos stars Michael Beauchamp and Simon Colosimo; it was a mutually beneficial result for Gouramangi to train with India instead, ahead of the Asia Cup next year.

Still, Gouramangi ‘s dedication in Melbourne earned him a starting berth against Brisbane Roar, playing the full 90 minutes.

Last week Gouramangi did indeed join the Indian national team in Portugal, where they are currently training hard for the 2011 Asia Cup (where, ironically enough, they will face Australia in the group stages!). He has already been an instrumental part of the Indian side in the team’s victories in both the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup featuring

Gouramangi’s achievements on both the international and club stages are numerous, but his story has somewhat humble roots: it really is a fairy tale for him. He started playing football when he was very young, coming from the north-eastern state of Manipur, where all the children played the sport at school. He reminisces, “I saw the senior boys playing on the field, it inspired me to go play after school…From then on, I grew up and got more interested to get into this game”. In his tenth year of school he was offered a spot at the Tata Football Academy, and ever since, it’s been a rollercoaster ride. A few years on, he has won nearly every club trophy in India, including the 2008-09 I-League (the top tier football competition in India) with his club Churchill Brothers, as well as being named ‘best defender’ in the League for the same season.

Although fame is knocking on his door, Gouramangi is still very much a modest celebrity, crediting his family and friends with shaping the person he is today. “In terms of my footballing career there are lots of people from various sections of life who have played their part in shaping me up to be what I am here and now,” he says. And truly, Gouramangi has blossomed under some highly-respected coaches, like Bob Houghton and Stephen Constantine.

Van’t Schip suggests that perhaps the most impressive part of Gouramangi is his age – while he is one of the tallest members of the side at 6’1 and a calming influence in the back line, at just 24 years young, he already has over 6 years of international experience, including a successful run as the captain of the winning Under-18 Indian side at the Ian Rush Trophy in 2003.

In a sport like football, the respect of teammates is arguably a bit more crucial than other more “selfish” sports, and as one would expect for such a prodigious and humble talent, his teammates are gushing with praise for him. Indian forward

Melbourne Heart Football Club head coach, John van’t Schip team over the last few years. He keeps the defence intact…If you check his record in the national team, you will find that India has not conceded many goals when he has played.” His commitment to the sport is unquestionable, and Gouramangi knows he has a lot more potential. In terms of the future, he looks forward to the Asia Cup and performing well with the national team, as well as securing a contract in a higherstandard league. “I’m still learning, so I think I can still improve a lot both physically and mentally, while continuing to study more and more about the game.”

If he had not been so talented at football, Gouramangi says he would have definitely completed full time college and university. But we can be very thankful that he has been given such talent – it heralds an exciting period for Indian football. It will be a hard choice for some to decide where their loyalties lie, come January 10, 2011, when India and Australia face off in the first of their group matches of the Asia Cup in Qatar. But if there’s one thing that’s certain – it’s that Gouramangi Singh will be there, giving his all and sharing his talent with the world.