Future fast forward

Unprecedented start

The bald facts first. Jeje was the most productive Indian striker in the I-League last season,netting 13 goals in 15 games for the Indian Arrows. As the season wore on,he grew more rampant,bagging hat-tricks against Air India and Mohun Bagan. He scored on debut for Indias under-23 team,in a pre-Olympic qualifier against Myanmar,and scored on debut for the senior team as well,against Chinese Taipei during the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers in Malaysia.

So seamless was Jejes introduction to international football he scored four times in three games during the qualifiers,helping India top its group with surprising ease that he might already have ended Bhaichung Bhutias international career. I believe that Jeje Lalpekhlua and Sunil Chhetri are the best strike partners in the country, the 34-year-old Bhutia recently said.

Dempo goalkeeper Laxmikant Kattimani,Jejes India under-23 teammate,puts it succinctly,and a little sorrowfully,wincing from the memory of losing countless one-on-one battles since their under-19 days. If he gets a chance,he scores.

As the under-23 team goes about its training on a sodden pitch at the Bharati Vidyapeeth University,Jejes finishing skills quickly become apparent. First up is a crossing exercise. The wide players ping in all manner of crosses low daisy-cutters at the near post,floated balls to the far post,balls that land exactly where theyre intended,balls that dont.

Its the last kind that demand the full extent of Jejes talent,forcing the striker to break stride or stretch or contort himself into odd shapes to make contact. There is something of Javier Hernandez,Manchester Uniteds Mexican striker,in Jejes India-rubber agility. He gets to anything remotely within reach. One cross bounces a couple of feet behind him. Arms flailing,he twists himself to open his body,falls sideways and half-volleys it against the post.

When free practice begins,Jejes teammates lob an alarming number of high balls at him not normally the most ideal way to utilise a 58 front man. But he seems to relish it. When he meets them with his back to goal,he chests them down,holding off two or three defenders at a time,and shields the ball expertly till midfield runners arrive. When he runs on to balls launched beyond the defence,he cushions them to the floor with a casual movement of his pink right boot,as if he were merely pressing down on the pedal of a dustbin.

A talent extraordinaire

Its a sumptuous skillset,but its his attitude that all his coaches enthuse about when you ask them what sets him apart. I think hes a very good boy with an outstandingly good attitude to his fitness, says Arrows and India under-23 coach Desmond Bulpin. He listens and wants to learn about his game and being a forward.

Colm Toal,in charge of Indias under-16 and under-19 teams,first spotted Jeje at an under-19 selection camp in Gwalior four years ago,and took him to Iran for the AFC qualifiers along with the Indian under-19 team. He was 16 at the time and got injured before the tournament. He was a good boy,with very good character and a positive attitude. I decided to take him along for the experience, says Toal. He returned to the same tournament in 2009 as captain and performed exceedingly well. He was the same happy-go-lucky team man in both editions of the tournament and thats what impressed me the most.

Later that evening,after training concludes,Jeje proves to be a shy,often monosyllabic interviewee,constantly fiddling with his phone to hide his embarrassment at being asked to talk about himself. He reveals that he comes from a family of footballers. His uncle,F Lianhmingthanga,represented Mizoram in the Santosh Trophy and once scored a goal against a visiting Russian team at Bordoloi.

Footballing heritage

Both his father and his brother played for Model Sporting Club,often on the same team. I also played for the club,but made my debut four months after my father retired, Jeje says. A diet of non-stop sport at school he reels off a list that encompasses table tennis,badminton,discus throw,javelin throw,boxing and the 100m and his fathers genes gave him his stocky,Carlos Tevez-esque frame. His football heroes are Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba. He misses his mothers Mizo cooking,particularly her pork dishes,and assuages his homesickness by listening to Bruno Mars singing This long distance is killing me.

Having initially started off playing at left back or centre back,Jeje became a striker when he joined the Ari Academy in Aizawl. Asked for his assessment of his own game,he pauses for thought. Idhar bahut hai, he replies,pointing to his feet,par idhar kuch nahin, and points to his head,with a rueful grin.

Others,of course,are much more effusive in their praise. Pune FC coach Derrick Pereira is very excited to have Jeje back in his squad next season,with the end of his loan spell at Arrows. We had him in our plans last season and thats why we didnt sign another Indian striker at first. He would have definitely been first choice if Arrows hadnt come along, he says. Hes strong,has excellent off-the-ball movement and gets into good scoring positions. He still has a long way to go,of course,but hes got immense potential.

Europe,a reality

How much,exactly? Bulpin provides a tantalising answer. He will play a very important role in the national squad, he says. With some more hard training,I definitely see potential in him to play in the top European leagues.