Taking giant strides in football world

It has been less than one year since K C Lalchhuanmawia packed his bags and came to Chandigarh but he has taken giant strides and collecting accolades from players and coaches alike he became a vital member of the Chandigarh Football Academy team. Some people are born to play football; K C Lalchhuanmawia is one of them. Playing his role of left flank to perfection, he mesmerized the football aficionados with his dazzling skills in the Administrator’s Cup and the Subroto Cup. Who can forget that curling 19-yard free kick that swerved into the top corner of the goal and left the opposition Mohun Bagan team gaping with surprise. “I was playing in my first final and the goal that I scored made it even more memorable,” says K C Lal, as he is fondly called by his friends and coach.

Coming from a humble family background, he was born with inherited prodigious talents from both his parents-his father being a former Subroto Cup player and mother was a member of the Manipur women’s football team. So it was obvious for the young gun to follow the legacy and do what he has always enjoyed-playing football. His foray into the world of football began at the tender age of five. His journey continued and soon he was an indispensable part of the Under-10 Mizoram team. “Having played football in Mizoram in sub-junior category, I finally got the chance to play in Administrator’s Cup last year. I had a good outing and Chandigarh coach Harjinder and Tejinder approached me. The next thing I knew was that I was giving trials for CFA and that I how I got selected,” remembers the 15-year-old player.

Things fell into place for him and he was part of the contingent that went to Agidus Brown Sports School, Leipzig, Germany to undergo training camp. Under the watchful eyes of the German coaches, his potential came in the front and the boy blossomed into a fine player. “I learnt many new things there. Dribbling was one of them. Besides that, we had exhibition matches with the junior German club teams and it was quite an experience,” says the class-X student of GMSSS-37 who has gone to Germany twice. The boy also earned appreciation from Andre Kuehn, Director of Sports, Agidus Brown Sports School. “He has a good technique and is very fast. If he keeps working hard then he will become a very good player,” said Kuehn during his visit to Chandigarh.

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A Ryan Giggs fan, he utilised all his teaching in the Administrators Cup and Subroto Cup and came up with many match-winning performances, including the one in the Administrators Cup final where they beat the Mohun Bagan team.

Keeping his eyes glued on the future, K C Lal hopes to eke out a living by playing professional football. “I will continue with football. If things go well with me then I would certainly like to play either in East Bengal or Mohun Bagan,” says K C Lal with high hopes.