Bengal teenager first Indian to play for FC Bayern Munich’s ‘World Squad’

17-year-old Subho Paul has been chosen to play for FC Bayern Munich’s ‘World Squad’ Under-19, becoming the first Indian to be chosen for the team.

According to The Indian Express, the teenager from West Bengal’s Salkia will be moving up from riding to local games on a bicycle borrowed from his coach Tapan Karmakar to flying to Munich on June 28 to play against the Bayern youth team. They will fly to Mexico before the match as well to play against top U-19 teams in the country.

“My family is telling me not to think too much about the trip, about selection into Bayern Munich. They are just telling me to enjoy myself and to keep in mind that I am representing India. But I can tell from their voices that they are very happy,” says Paul, who plays at Sudeva FC, a Delhi-based I-League club, and has been staying at their residential facility throughout the pandemic.

“Shubho is a very straightforward person. Before a junior game, we asked him what he wanted to do in the match. His answer was simple: score 10 goals. We were a little surprised, but not as surprised as when he scored 13 goals in the match,” says Vijay Haqari, Sudeva FC co-owner.

The news of his selection had been especially emotional for his older brother, Raju, who left football 10 years ago to take up a job and support the financially support the family.

“I used to play cricket mostly, it was my brother who was the footballer. I used to knock around smaller balls with the other kids. It was him who motivated me to think about football seriously, who took me to coaches,” Subho recalls.

His skill at the game even caught the attention of Kolkata football legend China Okorie, who gifted him his first pair of football cleats.

“When I spoke to Chima sir about Bayern Munich, he told me he had never thought I would reach this far,” Subho says with a smile.

West Bengal state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee recently tweeted out to congratulate Subho on his selection.

• India