Mumbai: About three months ago, a teenage football player from Kerala was making all the headlines. Ashique Kuruniyan had just secured a loan move to LaLiga club Villarreal.
Fast forward to the present and 19-year-old Ashique’s stint at El Madrigal has cruelly been cut short due to injury. He is expected to be out for a couple of months and will only rejoin the club in time for pre-season.
Speaking about his experiences in Spain, Ashique says he was desperate to prove himself and improve as he soon as he touched down. “When I got there, I wanted to do everything I could to improve my game. I wanted to spend as much time on the pitch as I could,” he said.
It is always difficult to leave home and move to another city let alone a different country. But Villarreal took care of everything and Ashique believes that helped him make a smoother transition.
“I did not suffer from any kind of homesickness because the management took such good care to ensure everything was in place,” he said. “I have managed to learn a little bit of Spanish because only one or two of my team-mates speak English. But the others try talking to me in English so we manage.”
On-field training might be the primary way of improving one’s game but observing games from afar can also be a tremendous education.
“The Villarreal first team trains very close to us so I have seen them train and managed to interact with a few players,” said Ashique. “I have watched a few LaLiga games at El Madrigal, especially the ones when Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Valencia were in town.”
There is bound to be a gulf in class when you jump from training in an academy in India to rubbing shoulders in a country where the world’s best ply their trade. But Ashique picks out one particular quality that stands out.
“I think the biggest difference I have noticed is the speed of play. I have learnt how to play quicker after coming here. The tempo at which we play in India is slow,” he observes.
It has been a whirlwind of a journey for the Malappuram youngster from playing for Pune FC U-19s to the Villarreal ‘C’ team. Having already represented India at the U-19 level, Ashique is hoping the day is not far when he dons the national team’s colours again, this time lining up alongside the likes Sunil Chhetri and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
“I want to play for India. If I play well, it does not matter where I am playing,” he said. “I know that if I keep working hard, the rewards will automatically follow.”
With India hosting the FIFA U-17 World Cup this year and the Indian Super League growing by the year, Indian football is well and truly on the rise. Ashique Kuruniyan is flying the Indian flag high in Spain and we must believe he is just the first of many more to come.
