TRIVANDRUM: “Congratulations Eugene,” quips a journo as the 2015 AIFF Player of the Year steps into the room. Eugene, shy as ever off the field, quips back “Thank You.” The tone was meek, as if the Midfielder had committed a wrong in winning the Award.
“I am looking forward to the SAFF Suzuki Cup. It’s the first Tournament I will be playing in my Country apart from the World Cup Qualifiers. Like as any other Player playing in this Tournament from all the other Countries, I want to win it too. That stays our priority,” Eugene was much at ease saying it at one breath.
The Indian National Team toiled hard during their sole practice session early morning. Though the Sun wasn’t that scorching, the Players sweated a lot and it was high intensity, a fact which must have pleased National Coach Stephen Constantine for sure.
Referring to a query as to whether the National Team lacks creative Players in the midfield, Eugene dismissed it saying: “I think we have a lot of creative Players. Every Player is assigned a job and the job of the Player is to perform it on the field. It’s all about what the Coach wants, the game plan, the strategy and performing tactically.”
Eugene who was voted the 2015 AIFF Player of the Year by the I-League Coaches, however, maintained that it’s the not “right age for him to venture playing abroad.”
“I am a bit old now (28). I need to admit it. Maybe I could have given it a thought some years earlier. Maybe at that time I could have had a chance,” he stated.
“If you look at Gurpreet (Singh Sandhu), he is at the right age and he has been doing extremely well. He has been there for quite some years yet so young,” he opined.
2015 has been nothing short of a fairytale for Eugene. Despite having played I-League for long, it was in April 2015 that he broke into the National squad. He had an impressive domestic season with his Club and won the AIFF Player of the Year Award, that too after being nominated for the first time.
“It was so satisfying when I got my first National Cap against Nepal.”
Whom do you idolize, someone queried back.
“Climax Lawrence, Rocus Lamare and Rennedy Singh,” pat came the reply.
“It’s easy to be working with someone like Venkatesh (Shanmugam). He is always there to talk about his experience and helps and guides all of us. We all look up to him,” he talked straight.
“There’s so much competition in the squad now. Constantine (Stephen) wants to give an opportunity to all. There are boys in the squad who are not even part of an I-League Team. It’s been a very nice experience for me with Constantine. The competiveness of the State League Players will certainly help develop Indian Football further.”
“We are a Country which has so much talent. But Football is a Team Game. So it’s not possible for a single individual to script glory. Each of us is supposed to be doing what we are expected to do,” he declared.
India play their first match against Sri Lanka on November 25.
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