Calcio comes calling

“Frankly,I didn’t have any idea about Indian football before coming here. I am really excited with what I saw,” Monti told The Sunday Express.

Over 6,500 young players from 650 schools participated in the programme; the length and breadth of this vast country was covered. And the 16 most talented players,who were chosen for a week-long training session,have impressed the Italian scout.

Frolic Sondhkar,Garry Kynta,Raju Biswas,Nishu Kumar,Banti Modal,Gursevak Singh and the others who were selected will have once in a lifetime opportunity to learn the finer points of the game at a venue where the likes of Javier Zanetti,Diego Milito and Wesley Sneijder ply their trade.

“These boys have potential. After what I saw here I believe Indian football can make it big. You have to catch them young and then groom them for the top level. I am impressed with the talent that is on offer,” says Monti.

But how realistic it is for a country,lying at the foot of the Fifa rankings,to dream big?

“Indian football can be good with time. You need to go to the grassroots and provide proper coaching to the youngsters. You also need professional leagues at higher levels. Given the right opportunity and infrastructure,Indian football can prosper. It is a big market with huge potential. That is why clubs like Inter are coming.”

Monti has always been an Inter man. He graduated as an Inter academy product at the age of 18. Italian clubs were ruling world football in the 1980s and early 90s; Monti made his debut in Serie A in 1988 for Lazio. It was a time when Maradona was working his magic for Napoli,helping them win the Scudetto (Italian league title) and European Cup. As a defender,Monti had quite a few encounters with the Argentine master. “He (Maradona) was in a different league,almost single-handedly winning matches and titles for Napoli,” Monti recounted. He moved to Atalanta from Lazio and then,after a few seasons with Reggiana,Ravenna and Lecco,hung up his boots in 1995.

It was by no means a long career. But Monti always aspired to be a coach and returned to Inter Milan to train the youngsters.

Initially his search for young talents was restricted to Europe. He featured in a television programme,Football’s Next Star,a soccer reality show that was aimed at the British youth players competing to win a contract with Inter. After the advent of satellite television,as the Italian football clubs became household names in the other parts of the world,Monti broadened his horizon.

Till now India was untouched. “It’s a great experience coming to India. Our football philosophy matches with the Indian psyche. At Inter,our aim always is to produce good boys before producing good players. Indians are also taught that way,” the 45-year-old signs off.