Bengaluru: The utility man of Indian football is how Harmanjot Khabra describes himself.
Tough tackling, capable of setting up goals and able to play in multiple positions with consummate ease, there is little doubt the moniker is well earned.
Having turned out for East Bengal for eight seasons, the move to the defending champions Bengaluru FC was, in some sense, a long time in the making for the 28-year-old.
“What I’ve got and what makes me Khabra is thanks to East Bengal. I have got everything there, the only thing I missed was the I-League crown. As a player, every year you have targets and when you just keep trying and you are not getting it… I think it’s good for the players, the team and the management to make a change,” said Khabra.
“BFC were interested in me and I was always keen on joining them, when they started three years ago. But as a professional, you have your commitment to your team. I have tried my best for them. At last I decided to make a switch. Maybe it will make them comfortable as well.”
The midfielder, who turns out for Chennaiyin FC in the Indian Super League, also revealed that his interest to make this move was no secret to his former club.
“Everyone, even my friends at EB, knew before that I was going to move. I had plans of coming here a year ago. I had announced that if I was not going to win the I-League (the previous season, then) I will move. I gave my word to BFC so I just signed the contract this year,” he revealed.
Emotional bond with Kolkata
“When I left for Kolkata, my family too was emotional. My wife loves to be there. Culture and traditionally, they have given me a lot and I am thankful to them for it,” he added.
Now with his eyes firmly fixed on BFC and the season ahead, Khabra, who is likely to be a variant to former midfielder Alvaro Rubio, is keen to hit the ground running for the team.
“Obviously, it’s a different feeling when you join the champions. When you are sharing the dressing room with players like Eugene (Lyngdoh), Sunil (Chhetri) and the foreigners, it makes you feel there is something extra among them which is why they are champions. I hope we will do good and be champions again,” remarked the former Sporting medio.
When asked of the contribution he plans to make to the team, the temperamental player, never shy of speaking his mind, said: “Whatever the coach asks me to do, I will. God has given me this gift of being versatile. I’m not the kind of player who can be an individual match-winner.
“I’m the sort of guy who can take responsibility and get the job done,” he stressed while asserting that he will not sacrifice what makes him who he is.
“I think if I am calm, it will be bad for me. Everyone speaks about me, about cards and all. It happens. I may have got cards but if at other points I had tackled some player, that’s my motivation,” he signed off.
