In our second live session with the Men of Steel, the U-17 World Cup teammates - Jitendra Singh and Boris Singh discussed their perspective of the footballing world, their personal favorites from across the world and their views as well as future predictions for the upcoming generation of Indian football.
Here are the excerpts from the live session
First thought that came to your mind after scoring your first goal
Boris: When I got subbed in against Mumbai City FC, my mindset while entering the pitch was that I should try my best to score to secure the victory since I have been asked to play in an attacking position. Fortunately, I got the opportunity to put the ball into the net and I was very delighted to have been at the right place at the right time. This moment was exactly what I was aspiring to experience in the ISL for the past 2 years and I got the opportunity to do so in Jamshedpur FC. I am very grateful to the club and our Gaffer, Owen Coyle, who put a lot of faith in me, for letting me make my debut and helping me achieve my goal. I will strive harder to score even more goals for the club in the future and give my best to bring the ISL trophy to Jamshedpur.
What is the first thought that comes to mind when you hear the name Sunil Chettri?
Jitu: There’s just one word that comes to mind that can describe him accurately - legend. We have so much to learn from him. Unfortunately, we have never got an opportunity to share a locker room with him, but we hope we get this opportunity in the near future so that we can learn as much as possible from an exceptional player like him. Whenever we ask our other teammates, who have played alongside Sunil Chettri, they always describe him as a very positive person who always shares his knowledge with his teammates. So, I hope we also get an opportunity to share the pitch and the dressing room with him.
Boris: I’d say the same as Jitu. My dear friend, Suresh Singh, who got an opportunity to play alongside Sunil Chettri, always tells us that he is a very hardworking player and is a motivational leader. He focuses on his health, diet and his game a lot. Suresh always seeks advice from him whenever he is in doubt and Sunil Chettri always makes sure to guide him in the right direction. He also actively promotes young talents and he is our ‘Captain Cool’ and a legend in the game and in our country.
Which is your favourite International team?
Jitu: My favourite is Germany. Germany plays a really balanced form of football with equal attacking and defending. They use the complete dimensions of the field really well and their team is a great blend of experienced and young talented players. The character and personality that they show on and off the field is also something that I really like.
Who is the one international player whose style and game admires you the most?
Jitu: I really like Toni Kroos from the German team, but unfortunately he announced his retirement recently from the international team
Boris: I really look upto Cristiano Ronaldo. His work ethic and dedication towards the sport motivates me and he is my football idol.
Who would you choose between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi?
Jitu: I love both of them. Their past and their hard work really motivates me, but I prefer Ronaldo a bit more than Messi.
Considering the progress of the national team, when do you think India will qualify for the World Cup?
Jitu: It is a step by step process to reach the grand stage. As we saw, the national team played in the qualifying rounds for the World Cup and AFC Championship recently, and we played well as we kept more control over the ball while being a more attacking side. So, we have to keep moving forward by making progress in our basics and make sure to be as productive with the possession as possible. I feel there’s still time for us to reach the World Cup and we have to move upwards step by step and build on the talented youth players of the country, so that when we get the opportunity to represent our country in the World Cup, we perform better at every game. As we saw in our recent games, we have improved drastically and we are getting stronger every time we step on the pitch. So, we need to be the best at what we do and hope that India qualifies for the World Cup very soon.
Who was your favorite player from Team India in our game against Qatar?
Jitu: I did not have any favorite player as I feel everyone was equally good in their positions; it would be wrong of me to choose one particular player from the squad as it was a team effort. So, everyone is equally important and if all the teammates are not working together, then the chances of getting a positive outcome gets tough. To just concede one goal against a strong team like Qatar and maintain such a strong defence was a really positive result. So I would not choose one player but rather the whole team’s efforts and the spirit they showed against some strong opponents.
Stay tuned with us for some more intriguing discussion points from our LIVE session with Jitendra Singh and Boris Singh.
Read Zoom Live Part 4: Jitendra & Boris talk about their experience at Jamshedpur FC
