Rahul Dravid reveals he played football before cricket, now plays as Bengaluru FC goalkeeper

Rahul Dravid got nostalgic after the match remembering his school days playing the sport and said that he still follows football.

Rahul Dravid with Sunil Chhetri at Bengaluru football stadium. (Source: PTI)

Rahul Dravid, who played a friendly football match against Bengaluru FC skipper Sunil Chhetri’s side, got nostalgic after the match remembering his school days playing the sport and said that he still follows football.

Playing at the ‘Boost Play the Pros’ event in Bangalore Football Stadium, Dravid, who is also BFC club ambassador, played as the goalkeeper against Chhetri and his mates, before interacting with around 200 youngsters and giving them tips on physical and mental fitness.

Speaking about his love for football, Dravid was quoted by Sportstarlive as saying, “I played football in school (St. Joseph’s BHS). Everyone plays football in school. But, once I was 14-15, cricket took over. Over the years, I’ve always followed FIFA World Cup and Champions League.”

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Chhetri, who handed out year-long scholarships winners of a talent show, was happy to score a goal past the former cricketer. He said, “It was great to spend time with the kids and Dravid. (BFC first-team goalkeeper) Gurpreet Sandhu was thrilled that Dravid asked him for his goalkeeping gloves. Dravid asked Gurpreet for a photo as well. A lot of us watched a lot of cricket when we were young, when Dravid was at his peak. He means a lot to us.”

Speaking on the goal past Dravid, Chhetri added, “That is going up on my bio.”

Calling BFC players ‘real superstars,’ Dravid said, “Guys like Sunil are the real superstars. I’ve watched a couple of BFC matches, and it is wonderful to see how the club connects with the city and engages the fans. When a kid sees young guys like Rahul (Bheke) and Udanta (Singh) do well for BFC, they feel that there is a route they can take in order to make football a career. It is quite similar to cricket in the 1970’s.”