Football dream comes true

Two years on,Sardesai’s dream is close to coming true. Yash Sardesai and Prithviraj Satav,both St Vincent’s School students,have been selected in a nationwide talent hunt for a week-long training camp at FC Internazionale Milano’s academy in Italy.

“It’s a dream come true. I have been following the Champions League very closely for the past three years and I have seen what a great club Inter Milan is. I am absolutely thrilled to have been selected for this training stint,” says the tall,gangling Satav,who is centre-forward in the school team.

Both were part of the St Vincents’ team that lost in the semis of the talent hunt,but were picked up by scouts to be part of the 38 probables who battled it out in Kolkata to secure a place in the eight-day camp at Inter’s famous youth academy. The boys spent a week in Kolkata trying to impress coaches from Inter’s academy,who were flown down specially to select the final 16.

“It was a great experience training under the Italian coaches. Their approach to football was very different. We spent the first four days just practising our basics. The coaches wanted us to perfect our basic skills so we would not have a problem when confronted with advanced drills,” says Satav.

What makes their selection even more impressive was the fact that both boys were made to play in positions that were not their usual in the four-practice matches to select the final 16. “I am a winger but was made to play as a holding midfielder. Prithvi is a forward but in all practice games he was a defender,” says Sardesai,adding that it was initially difficult for them to adapt to their new positions but it was a challenge they gradually began to enjoy.

Both Sardesai and Satav are Class X students but they insist their sporting commitments do not force them to miss out on academics. “Yash and I have been scoring an average of 75 percent marks since eighth standard and we don’t really have a problem with studies,” says Satav. School principal Fr. Andrew Fernandes is proud that his charges have managed to impress scouts of one of Europe’s football powerhouses. Fernandes,who was a keen footballer in his youth,says,“Both have made the school proud. We are hoping they play well in Italy and impress the Italians. Both have good academic records and that is something very impressive.”

Students at St Vincent’s are encouraged to play a variety of sports and Sardesai and Satav are no exception to the rule. Sardesai is in the school athletics team,participating in sprint events,while also figuring in the Pune district under-16 basketball team. “I started off playing basketball and later began playing football. Now I focus entirely on football,” he says. Both are very excited about their upcoming trip and are looking forward to visiting the historic San Siro,the stadium that is home to Inter Milan and their crosstown rivals AC Milan. Sardesai says that he cannot wait to go into the San Siro and soak up the matchday atmosphere. “We are going to get a chance to meet the players and I just can’t wait for that day to come,” says Sardesai.