E-Paper
Indian Super League: U.P. footballer signs ₹3 cr contract with Mumbai City FC, calls its ‘biggest turning point of career’
The 21-year-old footballer from Balrampur, 150-km away from Lucknow, was celebrating the India’s title win at the Intercontinental Cup at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar only on Sunday evening when he got the news of his new contract with the Mumbai City FC.
LUCKNOW Celebrations didn’t stop for young Indian footballer Akash Kumar Mishra even on Monday as the country’s best left-half signed a big contract of ₹3 crore for five years with the famous Mumbai City FC for the upcoming season of the prestigious Indian Super League.
This is probably the biggest contracted footballer player from Uttar Pradesh as other than cricketers from the state, no one seems to have fetched this much money in football. “It’s really a big for a footballer from Uttar Pradesh as I never heard any such success to any footballer in the state,” Lucknow’s football secretary, Kanhaya Lal said on Monday.
The 21-year-old footballer from Balrampur, 150-km away from Lucknow, was celebrating the India’s title win at the Intercontinental Cup at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar only on Sunday evening when he got the news of his new contract with the Mumbai City FC.
“It’s a double bonanza. Only last evening, I was celebrating’s India’s 2-0 win over Lebanon, and today I got such a big contract. It’s like a dream come true that Mumbai City FC have been one of the teams in the ISL, which have been regulars at the big events too,” said Akash on Monday.
“To arrive at a club like Mumbai City FC, it is a moment of pride for me and my family. The vision and ambition this club has is for everyone to see but more importantly, it gives me the best platform to grow and progress my career,” he said, adding, “I’ve spoken to coach Des Buckingham, who has shown a lot of faith in me and to be able to play football the way he envisions it, it’s one of the many things that excites me about joining Mumbai City FC.”
“Much like mine, the club’s aspirations go beyond domestic success, aiming to leave a mark in Asia as well and I am excited to represent Mumbai City FC at the highest possible levels. At just 21, I have a lot to learn, a lot to experience and I’m looking forward to meeting my new teammates, the staff and our fans,” he said. “I want to thank Hyderabad FC for their support and affording me the opportunity to represent them, and I am excited to begin a new chapter of my life in Mumbai.”
Akash, who started playing just for fun at the sports stadium in Balrampur, had joined the Lucknow’s Sports College only in 2014, and within a year’s time, he left for Germany on a three-year training. “That was the biggest turning point of my career, and I never imagined such a big break to me,” said Akash. “I started playing football just for fun and I got serious in the game only after joining the sports college,” he added.
He, however, said that right now his focus was on the SAAF Cup where India would be playing against Pakistan on Wednesday at Bengaluru. “That’s an important match for me and I would try to give my best as this game is important for everyone in the team.”
A regular face in the Indian team in the last 2-3 years. Akash also said that events like ISL allow a player to check his level of performance. “Soon after coming back from Germany’s training, I was given my first contract by the ISL side Indian Arrows for two years before playing for Hyderabad FC,” said Akash, son of a farmer.
