The AIFF Camp

It was sometime in March 2012. I was walking down the staircase of my school. I heard someone call my name. It was the sports sir calling me. I went up to him and wished him. He told me the All India Football Federation (AIFF) was holding trials for the India team for the U-17 world cup in 2017. He asked me to inform my teammate Bosco and suggested that we both go for it as we both were invited.

On the day of the trials i found myself to be the only person from my school participating in the camp. Bosco hadn't showed up due to exams. I didn't really care about my exams or studies. I was lost. I didn't know what to do or who to go to. It was my first actual competitive selection. I saw some kids checking if their name was on a list. I followed them and to my surprise my name wasn't there. I didn't know what to do. I just said "Oh" and started walking away when the guy at the registration desk asked me if my name was Ankit Nagar. I just smiled. He asked me for my signature and birth certificate. I was then shown the way to the ground.

Wow! What a ground!! Lush green!! Cooperage had been redeveloped and had been fitted with an artificial turf. I was one of the lucky 125 who were selected to play on the new pitch. There were 5 selectors. The head selector was a foreign coach recognized by the AIFF. He made us stand according to our positions. There were around 15-20 in strike, 10 in midfield and 2 in defense. The selectors wanted to know if any of us could play defense. Many of the players from strike voluntarily went to the defense.We were then divided into teams of seven or eight. The ground was divided into 4 pitches. It was very well organised. After each game we were provided with water bottles and we had our own coach. I thought i played well. I lead the team well and played the role of a right winger. Those days i was a selfish player, never passed the ball until i was in trouble. I would go solo and shoot.

I was full of attitude and thought that i was the best. I considered myself to be untouchable. I was overconfident. But on the first day of trials i was very nervous. Maybe that's why i could play well. At the end of the day, i was selected in the top 36 out of the 125. I still remember how tensed i was when they were announcing the names of who have qualified. As soon as my name had been called up people started clapping. It felt good to be appreciated by all  the people there. The final day of trials was my downfall. I was overconfident. I felt that if the first day of trials were a sign of how the rest of the players played then i was sure to get into the India team.

We were now to play in the main field. 11 vs 11. Proper matches with offsides and referees. I played on the right wing again this time. But unfortunately, i had this very tall guy as my marker. He kept pushing and shoving me. As i would get the ball, he would take the ball away. I was embarrassed and ashamed of my performance. I considered this as just a rough patch before i play my real game. Before the start of the last game, the coach told me that i was going to be a substitute. I was devastated. By the end of the match the coach realized that i hadn't got to play and instantly put me on. I fouled a player. It was a severe injury. I had whacked him in the stomach. He was puking. The referee yellow carded me. I asked myself if this day could get any worse.

After the game had got over we were told by the selectors that the results were to be declared by them a month later. They said they would contact us. I would eagerly wait every day for a call. I realized later that i wasn't good enough and just couldn't get selected. I went back and thought how i played and discovered that there was nothing special about me and i was just a kid with dreams which couldn't turn into reality. I was upset and thought of chucking the sport.

After listening to Gangopadhyay sir's advice i learnt a lesson that one will face setbacks in life and that doesn't mean that one should give up. One should keep moving forward. Life is full of hurdles and at times it will hit you hard. From then on i made my motto not to give up, ever.

" It's not how hard you can hit, It's how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward." - Rocky ( the movie)

My First MSSA Tournament

I was in eighth standard in 2011. My studies were not going well, but i was least bothered. I was playing football, and that's all that mattered to me. My game had improved and so had my stamina. But the strength was lacking. Where was that going to come from?! I couldn't go to the gym as i was too young. I tried pull ups and push ups, they helped in only increasing my muscles, not strength. So i gave up. Later on i was informed that the Mumbai Schools Sports Association (MSSA) U-14 tournament will be beginning in June.Trials had begun.

Every morning i would wake up at 6, leave for practice at 6:15 and begin at 6:30. Everyday we were told to warm up by jogging 10-15 rounds of two football fields. The whole team hated it, we use to curse our coaches. It was Gangopadhyay sirs reign. He just made us run, continuously. It was tiring. We would only play for 15 mins which was very irritating.I must confess that we despised our coaches, but later on in life we realized why they had made us run like dogs.After a month and a half of dedicated practice, i was awarded with a spot in the playing eleven. I was named vice-captain!! Sir had finally decided to play me on the right wing due to my speed and crosses. Somewhat like how Beckham used to play during early days in Manchester United.

With My Surname On The Back

The Legendary Front Of the Jersey

Finally, the day had arrived when i would be playing my first ever MSSA match. I was given the number 5 jersey. Our first match was against a team called St. Pius. I had an amazing game that day. We won the match 3-0. I provided all three assists. My coaches applauded my efforts. In the back of my head i was thinking that if this is a sign of things to come, then we would win the cup. But as usual, when you presume something it has to go the other way round. And it did. The next match against St. Dominic Savio we drew 0-0. It was the most pathetic match i have ever played. I barely got a touch of the ball and when i did i gave it away. I was surprised i was not substituted in that game. The next game against St. Annes High School was a better game than the last one against Dominic Savio. We drew that game 1-1. I was injured in that match but we were out of substitutions and couldn't be taken off. An opposing player had kicked me in the chest. I felt like i was going to die. I couldn't breath. But in a few minutes i was running like a mad cow to get back at the guy who had hit me. Plan failed. I got whacked again instead. Our last match against St. Francis D'Assisi was the most important. It was a do or die match. They had won all there other group games and had already qualified. We had to win to qualify. With Gods help, we did. our center back scored two crackers. One was a free kick and the other was a header from my corner.We had progressed into the knockout stages.

We were supposed to play Cathedral in the pre-quarters but they backed out as they had there exams going on. We were directly in the quarter finals. Yay!! I was lurking around school and i reached the sports room and saw the fixtures list. I was hoping our match wasn't against St. Stanislaus or Don Bosco Matunga. Again, it turned opposite and next thing i know i was packing my studs for the match against St. Stanislaus. There was something about that team. They were good, really good. All our coaches had come for the match. The match began with a bang. They scored in the opening two minutes. I was walking back for the restart thinking to myself that we have lost it. As the game progressed i realized that we just weren't good enough to compete at that level. As they say, God is omnipresent. God helped us out again. He changed the course of the game. Our left back cleared the ball with all his might. It was bouncing and from nowhere came our striker sprinting towards the ball. He had beaten the defenders in speed. The keeper started charging and he lifted his head and chipped the ball over the keeper right from the edge of the area. We scored, it was also square!!! The joy was immense. The game ended and it was decided that the game would be decided by penalties.

Nagra sir had decided the order of penalty takers. I was third. The shootout began. Our specialist, our captain as well as our leading scorer converted with ease. The score was two all when i stepped up to take my penalty. I placed the ball, walked up to the referee and asked him " how long can the run up be ?". He said "as long as you like." I smiled and ran to the half line. My fellow teammates were confused as to what was happening. After a slight giggle and walking a few steps ahead, i started running towards the ball. At first it was a jog and then slowly my speed increased. I gained momentum and smacked the ball. The ball flew perfectly onto the right top corner. By far it was the best penalty i have ever taken in my life. The adrenaline pumped me up. I ran in front of the Stanislaus team, abused them and went over to my teammates. I know it was a wrong thing to do but, i just couldn't help it. The penalty shootout reached a stage where my goalie was getting ready to take a spot kick. But luckily, they missed their last penalty and we went on to win the game. I was in tears, it was a hard fought match. We were celebrating like mad. I still remember that day from time to time and it always brings tears in my eyes.

In the semifinals we played Campion. I have always hated that school for some reason. All of the Campion players were laughing at us when we arrived. I felt like walking up to them and bashing them all up. I was a really short tempered guy those days. The game began and we dominated right from the start to finish. Unfortunately, we conceded a goal in the last minute. It wasn't scored by a Campion player but by our own player. That too, our captain. It was an honest mistake, a fumble. It was a mistake which costed us the title. But we didn't make him feel guilty as he had led us from the front and showed the true spirit of the game.

We lost the game and played the Dons of Mumbai, Don Bosco Matunga. They were amazing. Their passing and game sense was exquisite. I must admit, we were scared, very, very scared. And to top it off, none of our coaches decided to appear for the game. We had no game plan and didn't have the game sense like our coaches. Those days, i used to play a game called Fifa Manager 08. It gave an insight on the life of a professional manager. I knew a few plays. So i ran them down with the team and they agreed. Instead of playing a 4-3-3 i decided to make us play a 4-4-2. We started the game very well and managed to hold them off from beginning to end. When the referee blew the whistle for full time, i jumped up and down celebrating as we had held them off for 60 mins. Again, we were facing the pressure of a shootout.

This time unlike last, I decided to take the fourth instead of the third penalty. Our first three penalty specialists,all converted with ease. The Bosco players scored only one out of three. This meant that if i scored, we would win the third place. I took a long run up and tried to achieve the same finish like last time. However, things didn't work out as planned and the ball hit the post and came back to me. I took the ball and banged it against the ground in frustration. We ended up winning the game as they missed their next penalty due to this amazing save by our striker turned keeper. The joy after winning third place was too much to contain.

Anyways, I had exceeded my own expectations by winning third place. After we received our medals, the team left and i was busy buying a bottle of water, when this man came up to me and started talking to me. " unlucky miss that penalty was. You played a good game. Ever thought of playing for a club ?! " I didn't know how to react, so i just brushed him off and left. I regret it. But events in Life aren't something to regret. So i just ignored it and moved on, trying to improve my game.

 In my first MSSA tournament, i ended up with a second-runners up medal and a certificate with a wrong spelling. Way more than i hoped for. I learnt another valuable lesson of life, never regret what has happened in the past as you can't change it. Don't look to the future as it's unpredictable. Look at the present and what you can do right now.

And my journey continued.............

Getting To Know Where I Stand Outside My Bubble

As I began to think of football as a career, side by side i knew that to achieve that goal I had to step out of my school and compete in the outside world. I had risen among the ranks of the football society in my area. I was recognized as an upcoming talent by my seniors. They told me to never stop playing. I have and always will adhere to that advice.

I used to score tons of goals everyday. I must admit it was a lot of fun. I started gaining the respect of my fellow players.However, i realized that this football dream of mine was heading nowhere. I had to burst this huge bubble of mine -wherein i was the best and the king of the field. I researched on how to develop as a footballer. I found many articles but I was too young to understand the importance of practicing by yourself.

 My mother used to work in an NGO called Akanksha. She had a colleague named Glen. He was in the sports  department of Akanksha. He had found out that selections for the Maharashtra state team for a cultural tournament were taking place in Cooperage. My mother called me up, informed me and told me to kit up. I reached Cooperage very late. I ran to the the chief selector, " very early you are " he said. I was embarrassed and just apologized. He gave me a bib and  asked for my position. Those days, i hadn't decided on a fixed position as i was versatile. I could play on the wings, in the center of the park or as a striker. He decided to play me on the wings. I received the ball, saw a player open and tried a Hollywood pass. Hollywood passes are long balls which are a lot like those dreamy, movie kinds, slow motion passes with pin point accuracy. Lucky me, it reached my designated target! Another instance was when i received the ball, I ran down the sideline dribbling every player in my way and provided an assist to a well converted goal. Later on the results for the first day were declared. I had cleared the first round!

Next day i was super confident due to my performance the day before. But i was at a disadvantage as all the players over there knew each other and the coaches. They didn't like me. You could tell by the nasty glares they were giving me. I knew that i had to get selected purely on merit. I was put in a team with unknown players. All the players kept talking about a player named Anas. He was in my team and i finally got the chance to see him play. He was not fit but still, really good. He had seen me playing yesterday and had told me that i was already selected. And i was a fool to believe him. I didn't play up to mark and wasn't selected. I was chosen for a last round of trials along with 11 others. I played in the center this time and could not put my mark on proceedings. I realized that I was weak and couldn't match up to the others in terms of strength and stamina.

Thus i found my weak points in strength and stamina. I worked really hard to build those two aspects of my game. I found out where i stood in the outside world and a valuable lesson that until it comes out in black and white, never believe anything anyone says. I had burst my safe bubble and had leapt into wilderness.

And my journey continued...................

My first step into the world of football.

It was the year 2010. I was in 7th standard. My class had their games period. I always had this dream of entering the inter school football scene. That for me was my ultimate goal, to get into my school football team.

I was in NCS (Navy Children School). I was just chatting with my friends and getting ready to play when our school physical training sir, Mr.Paresh walked up to us and told us that he was taking trials for the school team. Wearing school uniforms, black leather shoes and a tight belt, wonder how we played! Guess it was the adrenaline rush that helped. I must say, my class itself had  some amazing players. There was this guy called Himanshu. My my, he was the best at that time. His game was amazing. He could create chances out of nowhere, his passes were the most accurate, his shoots were good too and he was fast, really, really fast. It was mesmerizing to watch him play. And then there was me, a little kid . Compared to his my game was just, decent.

We began play. I had Himanshu in my team. Lucky me!!  I thought passing the ball around would get me in. So i did just that. As soon as I got the ball I would rotate the ball. In between the game Shrihari and Himanshu were called by Sir and their names were noted down. I found my chances dwindling as sir didn't call any more names. I have always had good shots. We received a corner and i decided to take it.  Sir was sitting under a tree which was just 5 feet away from the corner flag. I looked at him once, he gave this blank stare and then grinned. I took my run up and whacked that ball with all my might and it flew. No one could get a head to it and no one was expected to after all who was so gutsy at that time to head a ball ?! Paresh Sir just asked me for my name and like a cadet in NDA i did a perfect about turn and introduced myself. "Ankit Nagar. Class 7-B. Date Of Birth 07/09/19 " but i was cut short by him and was told to answer the question and stick to the question, always. Lesson learnt!! I was selected. I was the happiest person on the planet. I went home and jumped. My mom and Dad celebrated with me

 Practice started in two days. First day of practice, the coach was a pretty familiar face. I later realized he had coached me earlier. For some odd reason i felt he had a soft corner for me. I was made captain of the U-12 side. I went crazy. Next thing i know i was picking players, and to be honest i didn't know anyone. Who were these Navy Nagar chaps? I didn't know anyone at all so i picked Himanshu and asked him to pick the rest of the side for me. I got to know people like Shubham and Sharad who went on to be really good friends of mine.

We played and no one was listening to me. I was angry. At that age i used to start crying if i was upset. And that's what i did. Someone came and told me to stop. I looked up and saw this uncle in whites. Sudip Gangopadhyay was his name. He was instrumental  in me developing as a footballer and also as a person. I listened to him and went on to draw the game. He told me that I had to be stronger mentally and physically.And that was that, I was hell bent on improving.

 I was 12 that year and was selected to play in Arsenal Cup U-15. I was a substitute and rightfully so, I was playing with seniors who were really good. Sitting on the bench and looking at the others show their skills was an eye opener. I realized winning matches and scoring goals on the street with my batch mates meant nothing. We lost in the pre quarters. I got to play the second half of two games. I think i passed the ball twice. I had the number 8 jersey which was my favorite reason, my hero Steven Gerrard.

Arsenal Cup U-15 Number 8 jersey.

 I also played the Mahindra Youth Football Challenge the same year in the U-14 category. I was again on the bench. The team had the Kumar brothers. It's an honor to play alongside them, even today. Praful and Pranjal, both strong, fit, masters of the passes and shoots. It was a 60 minute game. I was brought on in the tenth minute. I got on and played on the right wing. As soon as i got the ball, i ran for my life with it  towards the goal. A player came in front, i nutmeged him and went straight. Another instance was when this player fouled me, took the ball and ran. I got up and sprinted behind him and slid. i got the ball but the player flew a few yards. I got up, went to the player, gave him a piece of my mind and walked of. Gango sir applauded.We lost in penalties.

Mahindra Youth Football Challenge U-14.

That kick started my love for the game. I did not study even a bit.Football took priority over my studies. I did improve but i knew there was a whole world of amazing footballers out there who were a thousand times better than me.

My journey had just begun................