Belawal :" We're quite ordinary bunch of people who are on a journey to make ordinary feel special!"

Belawal Mumtaz !! The youngest ever player to Captain FIIOB Football Team, Kolkata, the highest goal scorer in FIIOB history and the youngest as well as fastest to achieve 50 goals' feat!

During this lockdown period, we had enough free time to have a chat with him and here's what came up:

You have played in lots of position. From Striker to CM, CDM, number 10, wings. What is your favourite position? And why?

My favorite position is Central Midfield (CM). I love to have the ball under my feet at all times, the position gives me enough freedom to go further up the field when required and drop down as well when the situation demands. Being able to control the tempo and dictate the game is what I have always wanted to do as a footballer.

Whom do you enjoy the most playing with in this team? And why?

I guess it's Harman. Yeah, Harman it is! Man's an absolute genius on and off the ball, we both have a similar game style which helps us in understanding each other better in situations and when you're able to do that, the game becomes much more easier to play.

I'd also like to mention Sayan Sr. and Prasenjit da under the same bracket, always a joy to assist both of them.

What are changes you had as a footballer in these years? The Belawal that joined Junos in late 2015 and the Belawal who is now one of the senior most member?

I've learnt a lot here in FIIOB. I'm a more complete footballer than what I was in 2015, I believe. The amount of effort people here have put behind me along with the love and care has not only helped me to improve myself in footballing ways but also as a human. I feel more recognized and appreciated now.

What impact this team has in your life, going outside football, in last 5 years?

I'd fall short of words here. I have a group of amazing people to share things with, to fight together, to win together, this team has been like a family since day one. It's not really about the tournaments we win but how much we enjoy ourselves in each other's company and in playing football together.

We aren't professionals, we are just a bunch of lads from different parts of the city who come together on weekends for the sole purpose of doing what we love and sharing our joy in doing so and I doubt if there's any greater joy than this. Couldn't have asked for a better group of people to share my passion with.

You have been one of the most prolific scorer for the team, even when you played from midfield. But now the goals are not that frequent for quite some time, does it bother you? Or do you accept that game styles change with age and experience?

I think it's a bit of both. No matter when and where you're playing, if you're able to score goals you win it for your team. The brand of your football doesn't really matters when you cannot win matches irrespective of how you play. Goals win you matches.

It does bother me, not being able to score and I'm working hard on it. Also, I believe I've changed as a player, I look to play from the deep nowadays and try and build the game and provide assists rather than going for goal even when I have decent chance for it. I'm still 22, I don't think there's any reason for me to stop scoring goals. I guess I need to put myself somewhere in between both of these aspects.

If you are asked to defend the phrase "My team is most special", how would you do that?

I'd say we're not special, we're quite an ordinary bunch of people with ordinary lives who have embarked on a journey to make ordinary feel special.

What are your future plans with the team?

I'd love to see this team play someday on a professional level and I believe we're on the right track with the right bunch of people in and behind the team. I've always wanted my career to be around football and I'd love to coach this team as a full time job in the near future, Insha Allah.

As we ended the conversation, there was an everlasting smile on his face. A smile that tells probably much more than the interview itself. Time passes, team grows and players like Belawal become monumental to such stories.

| Interviewed by Rajarshi Bhattacharya |