A bit of good news in the middle of all the bad is the story of an 11-year-old from an impoverished area of Bhubaneswar (India) who has been able,against all odds,to get himself selected to train at Germany’s Bayern Munich, as an academy player for two months.
Chandan Nayak, hailing from Sabar Sahi slum of the city, endured a tough upbringing and journey in his quest to become a part of the Indian football team and bring accolades for the country.
Now, he has become one of the few who were selected for an all-expenses-paid junior football camp to Munich.
“I am very happy, want to become a player for the Indian team one day. I really want to thank my coach,” said Chandan, who describes Argentina talisman Lionel Messi as his inspiration.
Drawing attention towards the plight of Chandan’s family, his coach Jayadev Mahapatra said that his family was extremely underprivileged, who struggled to make ends meet but added that his resilience against mounting difficulties should be seen as a sign of bravery.
“His family is a broken one. His father had deserted him at a very young age. His mother works as a servant at various places and is able to manage the family. She has sacrificed a lot to ensure that her children are brought up in a proper way. Chandan coming from a poor family stands as a sign of bravery because against all odds, he has proved his talent,” Jayadev told ANI.
Explaining the young football genius’ journey so far, the coach continued: “The boy is a talented played and we spotted him when he was very young. He has been training with us for the last three to four years. In the last one year, we have taken him from some very rigorous training and used modules which we see in international clubs and it has paid us rich dividends.The selection criteria says that the age should be between 14 to 16 and being an 11-year-old kid he was not allowed but we asked them to give him a chance, he surprised everyone. .
“He will be leaving on 25th. In Germany, he will be playing asides greats like Phillip Lahm. The best coaches of the world will train him. Around 120 students from across the world will be coming. The training he will receive there is beyond comparison that we can give him in India. It is a huge opportunity. He will create a huge expectation for the slum kids who play soccer today,” Jayadev said, adding that his pupil has a similar story to that of Lionel Messi, who used to stay in an underprivileged area in Argentina before being scouted by Barcelona at a young age of seven.
All the best Chandan.