ISL: Sabeeth looking to achieve a lot through his performances for Kerala Blasters
One thing that is striking about Kerala Blasters FC’s CS Sabeeth is his impatience to perform on the field. The 24-year-old has an unmatched hunger for the sport which he took up thanks to the inspiration of his father who turned out for Nilgiris Police.
After starting his career with Indian Bank in Tamil Nadu, Sabeeth sought greener pastures outside the state, where he established himself with Viva Kerala. He then went on to ply his trade for the All Indian Football Federation’s development side Pailan Arrows, where he made his mark and went on to sign for Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan.
Sabeeth’s role at Bagan is a much-talked about topic in Kolkata. The striker, who was the highest scorer in the national league two seasons ago, had played a stellar role in ensuring that Bagan did not get relegated at the end of last season. Before long, he has become the darling of the Kolkata maidans and as former Indian star IM Vijayan, who had a similar success in the Mecca of Indian football, would submit, “Life as a footballer takes a new direction from there.”
One of Sabeeth’s painful memories is the disbanding of Viva Kerala. He felt that the move was not good for Kerala football. However his journey has brought him back to Kerala – now with the Blasters – and the drive is towards making it one of the most competitive sides in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL). This promising striker has the ability to outshine his teammates like Renedy Singh and Mehtab Hossain.
Speed and instinct are his strength, which make him a menace for his opponents. He has the knack to change fortunes of a game with his scoring abilities. When not playing as an outright striker, he plays a supporting role to key players like Iain Hume and Penn Orji.
In his eight ISL appearances, Sabeeth has found the target just once but has threatened the opposition goalkeepers on a number of occasions. The experience of playing alongside the likes of Stephen Pearson and Orji is an experience that will stand him in good stead as Kerala looks ahead at brighter times.