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Delhi has a Maradona in making!
Twelve-year-old Ashish Bhalla is a fan of Mahindra United midfielder Venkatesh but sounds much more confident than the most consistent footballer in the National team.
Twelve-year-old Ashish Bhalla is a fan of Mahindra United midfielder Venkatesh but sounds much more confident than the most consistent footballer in the National team.
While Venkatesh has shunned offers from other clubs in the Far East in the last few years, Bhalla aims to play in Europe rather than in any Indian club.
Having represented India in the Under-13 football festival in Uzbekistan recently, the boy from Delhi’s Zamrudpur feels playing in Europe makes one a complete footballer.
“They have skill, stamina, endurance and almost everything one needs to play the game. That’s why I like a Ronaldinho and Barcelona. Watching the Spanish team play is always an experience.”
In football, Bhalla’s is a story of vine, vide, vice. He was more interested in becoming a skater, but took to football after watching his friends.
Within a year-and-a-half, he led Delhi in the National U-13 meet at Kalyani and was immediately called to the national team for the Uzbekistan festival tournament.
In Uzbekistan, India played four 60-minute matches and five matches of 20-minutes duration. As a midfielder on the right wing, the Air Force Bal Bharati School student was a first eleven player in all the 60-minute game.
India won against Kyrgyastan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and drew 2-2 with Iran, the toughest team in the meet. In this match, Bhalla scored his first international goal.
“We were down 1-2 in the second half of the match. I took the ball and sent a long ranger that entered the net”, said Bhalla.
Bhalla, who trains at the Strikers and Schemers Soccer Academy under Abhijoy Basu and at the Nehru Stadium under SAI coach Harish has already developed a keen sense of the game.
“In Uzbekistan, the tournament was played with Nike ball. We never used this ball during the national camp at Goa. Had we used it, we could have done better there.”
Bhalla is now waiting for a call from the Tata Football Academy. “They would have taken me last season itself but felt I was too young”, said Bhalla, who loves to dribble but not at the cost of wasting the move.”In Uzbekistan, I learned a lot, especially from the Turkmenistan team. Their passing, turning and game sense is too good. I want to be like them”, said Bhalla.
