Jitendra Singh made his debut with the senior team in ISL Season 19/20 as a defender. One of the youngest of the lot, his journey has been an inspiring one. Today, the defender himself pens down his journey as a footballer and more.
“The U-17 World Cup was a great opportunity for me. I got the chance to compete with the best. However, there was a disappointment among us players after the last game. We wanted to do so much more and try to go as far as was possible. I struggled to sleep for a couple of days after our last match in the U17 World Cup. That made me realise that I have yet to learn many things from others, my competitors as well as my peers, and need to push and work harder to improve myself in every way like physically, technically, and mentally because the level of play was quite high in that tournament.
After the World Cup, I played in the I-League for India Arrows for 2 years. Later, I received offers from various clubs, but I was a little bit confused because I knew that for me it will be crucial to choose a club who can trust young players like me, who could give me a good amount of playtime. I was looking for good infrastructure as well so by the end of first year, I spoke to my family and with the help of my big brother and my agent, I decided to continue for one more year with India Arrows. I gained more game time and experience. Looking back at it now, I think that was the best decision I ever made because it all led to me becoming a part of Jamshedpur FC.
In my second year, I did improve. We were at 6 points in the I-League table. I feel that I was playing with more maturity and I gained some experience against senior players. Post my second year, I went to my village in Uttrakhand to take some personal time off. During that time, I learned that Jamshedpur FC is interested in me. Again I consulted my family. My agent told me everything about the club, the infrastructure, their facilities, learning curves and how much they wanted youngsters in their club. And that was really it. I knew right away it was what I was looking for. And that’s how I came to this beautiful club, this beautiful city, full of passionate football fans.
It was a delight after I joined. I saw how well organised the club is along with their hospitality, accommodations, training etc. I was ecstatic. I got what I dreamt of. My job since then has been to just work hard and give my all in the field.
In the end, I just want to thank Jamshedpur FC for giving me this chance to play in the big league with the big boys at a big stage like ISL. From here on out, I just want to learn more, grow more as a footballer, as a person and achieve great things with Jamshedpur FC.
"I want to continue growing step by step and learn something new from every match."
— Jamshedpur FC (@JamshedpurFC) December 19, 2019
Here is what Jitendra Singh had to say ahead of #JFCMCFC! ⚽#JamKeKhelo pic.twitter.com/Qa9Mawsnzf
