Toppo plays different roles with ease

It was during an inter-school nationals match two years ago that main defender Bhaikho Majhi sustained an injury and the coach,with no options,was forced to rely on the striker’s speed and power. The performance pushed him down the field but Orissa coach Surendra Nath Padhy gives Toppo a chance to score too.

“He scored his first goal in the Subroto Cup as a striker. But with his ability and maturity,we have the luxury of using him anywhere in the field. This year too he has scored three goals which is very good for a defender,” Padhy says,adding,“Whenever we are in the lead,he gets the licence to move up and that’s exactly when he has scored the goals. He’s scored whenever we have won by a big margin.”

The coach says he could spot Toppo’s all-round abilities at the very beginning,but there’s nothing exclusive that goes into the grooming of such talent. “His power and speed makes him an exceptional player,but another major aspect of modern football is strength and he is our strongest player. We teach every player the skills involving defence,midfield and attack but rarely each pick up everything,” Padhy added.