‘I don’t want to comment’ – Rahul KP brushes off IM Vijayan’s 'hairstyle' criticism

IMVijayan, one of the greatest footballers Kerala has ever produced, was critical of Kerala Blasters’ performance against Odisha FC where they lost 4-2 last week.

He pointed that the young players at the Kerala outfit must learn a trick or two from Odisha’s Jerry Mawihmingthanga.

“Blasters youngsters should learn from Jerry. See how mature his game is and how he is supporting the senior players. Coaches and fans expect players who can compete for the team. Running around in the ground, dribbling, or changing hair colour is not football. It is a team game,” he wrote in his column for Malayala Manorama.

Rahul KP was asked his opinion on the above-mentioned comment by the former India skipper but the 20-year-old gave a diplomatic response.

“It's up to people what they want to say. It's on him. I don't want to comment,” said Rahul KP.

The Thrissur-born winger scored his second goal of the current Indian Super League (ISL) campaign when he beat Gurpreet Singh Sandhu of Bengaluru FC at his near post to clinch three points. In fact, this goal was an exact replica of the one he scored earlier in the season against the same opposition.

ISL

“I want to thank God, my teammates and staff for that moment. It is not a miracle, we worked on the training pitch. Everyone wants to fight. The game is over, we now focus on the big game tomorrow,” said Rahul as he has FC Goa on his mind ahead of the weekend’s clash.

Rahul KP’s pace has been a cause of concern for several full-backs and that was best witnessed in the twin matches against Bengaluru FC. It will be interesting to see if Igor Stimac, the national coach, names in the squad for the upcoming matches.

“My job is not to focus on the national team now, it is to focus on my team (Kerala Blasters). I am sure it will come if I keep performing. I aim to give everything for the team. We will see how it goes,” he mentioned.