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Playing in AFC Asia Cup is every footballer’s dream - Michael Soosairaj
Although Michael Soosairaj has not found a place in the national team yet, there is still chance for the youngster as India will be travelling with 28 footballers for the AFC Asian Cup.
When it comes to the Indian football team, the main criteria for selection has always been the current form of a footballer. As a result, it has come as a surprise to many members of the fraternity that young midfielder Michael Soosairaj has still not received a single call-up to the senior team.
The 24-year old is the reigning two-time and has performed well for the Indian Super League (ISL) side Jamshedpur FC. However, the youngster has still not found a place in the national team and the footballer from Tamil Nadu is also not confident about his chances of making the AFC Asian Cup squad.
“Playing in AFC Asia cup is every footballer’s dream! But I really haven’t considered getting selected for it. It’s all with the selection committee. I just wanna concentrate on the role I have now and keep working hard for the team and the people who believe in me,” Soosairaj told Hindustan Times.
Although he has not found a place in the national team yet, there is still chance for the youngster as Constantine announced on Wednesday that India will be travelling with 28 footballers for the AFC Asian Cup. Five players will be dropped from the squad ahead of the tournament depending on the health conditions of the footballers and also on the basis on their form.
After spending three seasons with Arrows FC, Soosairaj joined Chennai City FC in 2016 and that proved to be a turning point in his career. He quickly made his name among the Chennai City FC faithfuls and after the 2017-18 season,
After the 2017–18 season, Soosairaj was named the league’s best midfielder by the All India Football Federation. Although he is no longer part of the club, he still has a special connection with the team which also features his brother Michael Regin.
“My time with CFC was the best in my life so far because I learned professional football from them.Playing for another team doesn’t mean I am far from my home club ! Since my brother captaining CFC, we talk frequently and my brother still never fails to guide me,” he said with a smile.
The shift to a new league was not quite easy for the youngster. He found it quite challenging to adjust with the new team and the new competition. However, that changed quite quickly and his brace against FC Goa made him an instant favourite with his new fans. When asked about his change, Soosairaj was quite clear that the ISL is a complete different ball game compared to the I-League.
“The competition is totally different! Because here you have more good and strong teams , and it is fully packed with quality players . So you gotta put more efforts to get noticed,” he explained.
