"Anything less than being part of the Indian national FIFA team would be disappointing for me": Bengaluru FC player Sagnik Banerjee
It has been one week since eISL, India's most eminent FIFA tournament, came to a close. Chennaiyin FC won the Grand Finale by overcoming Mumbai City FC. Bengaluru FC performed well throughout the tournament. However, they just missed out on finishing in the top 4.
Sagnik Banerjee, one-half of Bengaluru FC's FIFA roster, is one of the most talented players in the country. The 19-year-old has been around the circuit for four years. Apart from representing Bengaluru FC in eISL, he is also part of True Rippers Esports team.
In conversation with Sportskeeda Esports' Yasho Amonkar, Sagnik shed light on what changes he would like to see in FIFA 23, revealed how he manages to stay so consistent, and expressed his feelings about narrowly missing out on the eISL playoffs.
"I feel that FIFA 21 was a better game than 22 since the skill gap was way more back in 21": Sagnik
Q) Many Indian FIFA players took the game seriously when the COVID-19 pandemic started a couple of years ago. However, you have been playing competitively for a long time. When did you play your first offline and online tournaments, respectively?
Sagnik: I started playing the game competitively in 2018. Since then, it has been one hell of a journey for me, I must say. My first offline tournament was back in January 2018, when I lost in the semis. That gave me an extra push that I might be somewhat good at this game.
Q) In a country where esports is still in its infancy, it can be hard to enter such a field. What was the tournament or instance that persuaded you to take this as a career option?
Sagnik: No particular tournament persuaded me to take this as a career. I just loved playing the game, and once I started enjoying the competitive aspect of it, I knew I wanted this to be my career. Also, I got a lot of support from my mom to pursue this career which motivated me even more.
Q) Do you reckon FIFA 22 was an improvement over 21? What are the changes you would like to see in the next iteration?
Sagnik: No, I feel that FIFA 21 was a better game than 22 since the skill gap was way more back in 21. No doubt the graphics and the overall feel of the game have improved, but the gameplay was way better in 21.
I like to press my opponents a lot, which is not very effective this year. This is why the major change I want in FIFA 23 is to make pressing more rewarding and remove the current dropback meta.
Q) In previous iterations of FIFA, you made it a habit to get more than 27 wins in the Weekend League. What is the secret to your consistency?
Sagnik: I practiced a lot with the other top pros of south Asia, which helped me a lot in my weekend league consistency and tournaments.
Q) You scored 50 goals during the Bengaluru FC qualifiers in the seven matches. Can you give your thoughts on the level of difficulty during those games?
Sagnik: So the Bengaluru FC qualifiers were the second qualifiers of the day, so only two players had qualified before it, and all the top pros were still left. All my games in the qualifiers were against top-quality players, but it was good practice for me at the end of the day.
Q) How pleased were you when you were officially a part of Bengaluru FC's eISL team? How was the overall experience playing for The Blues?
Sagnik: I mean, it's a dream-come-true moment for me to represent the same club as Sunil Chhetri. Since then, it's been nothing less than a beautiful journey with the club.
Q) Bengaluru FC finished 5th on the table, narrowly missing a chance of competing in the playoffs. How gutted were you and Aman Warsi to miss out on the top four despite having such a good season?
Sagnik: Aman Warsi and I were pretty disappointed for a long time. But then again, winning and losing are a part of the learning curve. By the end of the league, we were so happy to bring an ample amount of memories with us back home.
Q) You and Lokmanyu Chaturvedi were signed by True Rippers Esports as part of their FIFA contingent last year. What has been your experience with the esports organization so far?
Sagnik: Lokmanyu Chaturvedi and I have been friends since the very start of the Indian FIFA scene. Hence, he was the best partner that I could have asked for.
Moreover, the True Rippers management team is the most friendly and helpful team that I have ever worked with, making it the perfect esports organization for me.
Q) The AIFF eFootball Challenge and Asian Games qualifiers are two major tournaments scheduled within the next few weeks. What are your personal targets for these qualifiers?
Sagnik: I count myself among India's top five FIFA players, so anything less than being a part of the Indian national team would be disappointing for me.
Q) What is the most crucial factor in playing FIFA at a competitive level? What separates elite-ranked players from gold-ranked players?
Sagnik: I feel like player switching and defending one vs one situations are the most significant things that separate top-tier players from gold-ranked players.