Confident Subrata Paul aims big in his Danish sojourn
4 Jan 2014 5:35 AM IST
The first ever Indian footballer to play in Europe was Kolkata’s Mohammed Salim, who played for Mohammedan Sporting before switching to Scottish giants Celtic back in 1936.
‘As a kid, I always dreamt of playing in Europe... So it’s a step in the right direction,’ the 26-year-old said, days before leaving for Denmark. Terming this as one of the memorable moments of his career, Paul said ‘It’s a first step but the real challenge lies ahead and I’m confident to overcome it.’ ‘Life is full of challenges. I’ve full faith in my ability to prove myself among the best.’
After landing a six-month contract with the Slagelse based Superliga football team FC Vestsjaelland in east Denmark, Paul has a tall order to achieve -- to impress the team think tank and then prove himself to make the cut.
The 26-year-old has already achieved the first goal during his 28-day stint in October-November as goalkeeping coach Claus Fallentin was ‘impressed’ by Paul’s reflexes.
‘He was quite impressed with my reflexes under the bar and offered to take me.’ In a country where the current average temperature is 5-degree C, Paul hopes to remain in shape and prove his skills. ‘The pressure comes with football, there’s nothing to be intimidated about. I’ve to settle down and win their trust.’
It’s, however, not easy as he’s going there as a third goalkeeper and the team has fielded only their first goalkeeper, Thomas Mikkelsen, in all their matches.
Paul knows that he has his task cut out. ‘So it’s a tall order to achieve. I’m going their with a lot of enthusiasm and positive energy. There’s no extra pressure on me.’ Having made the top tier Danish Superliga after, FCV are now 10th in the 12-team Denmark league.
‘As a kid, I always dreamt of playing in Europe... So it’s a step in the right direction,’ the 26-year-old said, days before leaving for Denmark. Terming this as one of the memorable moments of his career, Paul said ‘It’s a first step but the real challenge lies ahead and I’m confident to overcome it.’ ‘Life is full of challenges. I’ve full faith in my ability to prove myself among the best.’
After landing a six-month contract with the Slagelse based Superliga football team FC Vestsjaelland in east Denmark, Paul has a tall order to achieve -- to impress the team think tank and then prove himself to make the cut.
The 26-year-old has already achieved the first goal during his 28-day stint in October-November as goalkeeping coach Claus Fallentin was ‘impressed’ by Paul’s reflexes.
‘He was quite impressed with my reflexes under the bar and offered to take me.’ In a country where the current average temperature is 5-degree C, Paul hopes to remain in shape and prove his skills. ‘The pressure comes with football, there’s nothing to be intimidated about. I’ve to settle down and win their trust.’
It’s, however, not easy as he’s going there as a third goalkeeper and the team has fielded only their first goalkeeper, Thomas Mikkelsen, in all their matches.
Paul knows that he has his task cut out. ‘So it’s a tall order to achieve. I’m going their with a lot of enthusiasm and positive energy. There’s no extra pressure on me.’ Having made the top tier Danish Superliga after, FCV are now 10th in the 12-team Denmark league.
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