'The journey from the first line of defence to the last' with Amrinder Singh
A goalkeeper has to be one of many things, agile and smart, strong and subtle, ready and willing. There are times a goalkeeper doesn't get even a sniff of the ball throughout the game, but then he is tasked with keeping the opposition out at the most unexpected of circumstances.
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Being a goalkeeper is often was considered the most thankless of positions, left to dry out when he drops a clanger (ask Joe Hart) and doing his job when he pulls off a miracle. But, in recent history, goalkeepers have been given some of the credit rightly due to them, like for example David de Gea has been named the Player of the Season at Manchester United for three consecutive seasons, something unheard and unthought of by previous generations. There is still a long way to go when a goalkeeper earns the Ballon d'Or, but 'The times are a changin'.
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Hailing from the city of Mahilpur in Punjab, a young Amrinder Singh had joined the U-17 team of the Sports Wing Academy of as a striker. He fondly recollects "I had joined the academy as a striker, I was 16, and it was a U-17 academy in Punjab, but my coach Yarvinder Singh told me to train as a goalie, and that is when my journey started. I trained for three years there, till the U-19 level".
"Mr Ranjan Choudhary, at that time, was the Youth Football Director, he had noticed me playing and he told me to join the U-19 side of Pune", which in itself for a boy of 18 from Punjab, is a huge leap. Things really started to look good when he actually joined the then I-League outfit.
Amrinder Singh continued, "Subrata Paul, who was the national team goalkeeper at that time, was also at Pune FC, but he was away for International games. So, Derrick Pereira the manager of the team at that time, told me to train with the first team, as they had only another goalkeeper".
No one would have blamed Amrinder to have fluffed his lines, leaving his native Punjab for the first time. A boy was thrown straight into the cauldron with men, but he is made of a different alloy. Turns out, Derrick Pereira was rather impressed by the goalkeeper and he wasted no time and signed him straight away for the first team. By then, he had completed made the transcription from the first line of defence to the last.
His youthful exuberance is clear to see, and so his steel and determination. He recalls one of the best moments of his career to have captained the Indian U-23 side, "It is a special feeling, definitely, one of the best of my career".
He might not have got his first senior appearance for the national team but he's steely determination, made me believe that it is only a matter of time. He admitted that he is definitely pitted against the best India has had to offer in our footballing history. "Gurwinder is obviously playing abroad, and Subrata bhai is also there, Rahenesh is also with him, so yeah, it is tough competition. I think even for the National Team coach it is a tough decision, who to call to the squad, and who to leave out".
As for him, he will keep knocking at the door and eventually, no doubt break it down. Speaking of Gurwinder, the elephant in the room had to be addressed. Even though ISL has given Indian footballers the platform to a global audience, playing abroad, especially in Europe has got be every professional's dream. He smiles shyly to say, "Yes, obviously, maybe in the next two or three years, when I have more experience".
Onto the match at hand, only two Indian teams have managed to reach the AFC semi-finals, East Bengal and Dempo. Bengaluru FC made the proverbial feast off Tampines Rovers in what was Albert Roca's first game as the man at the helm for the Blues. They beat the Mighty Stags convincingly one goal to nil, and the tie hinges on the away leg set to take place in Singapore on 21st of September.
Amrinder though, re-iterated, with confidence "We can, we can definitely reach the semis, and probably can become the first Indian team to reach the finals. But, it is a game of 180 minutes, and we have to win after playing both the legs".
There was a lot of talk when Albert Roca came in as manager to how the Indian players would adjust, Amrinder though has no qualms about it. He said "He has a very different plan, we struggled a bit in the first two practice matches, but by the end of the last practice match, the players knew their roles. We are ready now. It's a great experience working under him".
And it showed the way Bangalore played in the first half of the first leg.
Amrinder though, as sporting as ever, agreed to do a quick fire round. Here is how it went
Question: Favourite Food
Amrinder: Sarson ka saag and makkhi ki roti (I refuse to translate that).
Question: Favourite Movie
Amrinder: Sholay
Question: Favourite Goalkeeper in Europe
Amrinder: Manuel Neuer
Question: Favourite European Club
Amrinder: Liverpool in England and Real Madrid in Spain
Question: Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi
Amrinder: Cristiano Ronaldo
A big shout out to Akash Vinay and Kunaal Majgaonkar for their help in setting up the interview.