One of our teammates, Arun, got married last month, and it was surprising how he ended up meeting his partner. He’s from Chennai, India, quiet guy, a solid midfielder, never late or flashy. We joked around about how he was more disciplined than our gaffer. He never talked much about his personal life, so it […]

When I was 10, the dream was simple – play at Wembley, score in front of 90,000, lift the trophy. I used to fall asleep with a football at my feet. I used to imagine a match-of-the-day camera following me around school all the time. Fast forward to today, I am 27 years old, and […]

People think that footballers have it all: the luxury, the game, fans and fancy parties. But what people don’t see is how lonely life can become. Yeah, you have teammates, bantering in the dressing room, and group chats filled with memes and voice notes. But once the match, once you’re done training, the adrenaline wears […]

People are always curious about knowing what we do after training, assuming it’s massages and video games. Truth be told, after the final whistle, that’s when real life kicks in. At the same time, you are on the field, its focus, strategy, adrenaline, and game mode. But once that is done, you get back to […]

People think that if we are professional footballers, we are rich. We get to drive a Range Rover, wear designer clothes and be part of brand ads, which is true but for the 1% among us. The rest of us are playing in shadows, and you might have never heard our names either. I’m a […]

Most of the kids dream of playing in the Premier League. And I was one of them. I grew up playing and kicking a ball against a wall, pretending to be one of those well-trained and professional footballers and hoping that one-day people would chant my name and roar for me. But now? I play […]