Candid Captain

Indian Captain Baichung Bhutia reveals his success mantra.

North East News Agency

Born in Sikkim and becoming the superstar of Indian football, Baichung Bhutia has indeed traveled a long way. When North East News Agency requested him to reveal his success mantra, for the benefit of upcoming footballers, the captain of the Indian football team readily agreed. Sitting in the lobby of Hotel Janpath, in a candid interview, Baichung Bhutia passed on tips on how to become a footballer.

Excerpts of the interview:

     North East News Agency: What are your advices for young and upcoming Footballers?

Baichung Bhutia: I don’t think that that I am the right person to answer this question. There are many experts who can pass on some useful tips to the budding footballers. However, all I can say is that to become a successful sports person, three Ds are must. These are Discipline, Dedication and Determination.

Without discipline,one will not be able to achieve anything in any field of life. Discipline plays an important role to fulfill one’s ambition. Disciplined life is a must. To achieve success, one has to made many sacrifices and without discipline that will not be possible.

Dedication comes next. To achieve success, one will have to dedicate himself to the cause. If one is not sincere and gets detracted, definitely success is not for him.

Determination is another important thing. Success never comes easily. One will find many roadblocks in the path of success. If one is not determined enough, it will hard to overcome all these hurdles.

Another thing which I would like to add here that getting success is something, but maintaining that success is altogether a different thing. Often we see that after achieving modest success, one sports person fades away from the scene. Let me put it in another way. Going to the top is difficult but more difficult is to stay at the top. So, one should not feel contained after achieving modest success, because he will have to work more hard to retain success. While, going to the top no one follows you. But while at the top, every one will try to dislodge you. One faces fierce competition only after reaching to the top.

NENA: Tell us how you have handled the pressure of being at the top for so many years?

B. B. I have done nothing special. All what I achieved is through discipline, dedication and determination. I remained focused to my football and that paid rich dividend.

NENA: How important you think are the roles of various football academies in improving the standard of Indian football?

B. B.: Yes, there are few football academies in the country at present. The academies have given us some very good footballers. Some of them had played or playing for the country also. It’s a good effort.

But one thing I would like to mention here that if you have talent and are ready to really work hard, with or without academy you will shine. I don’t believe in te theory that only academies can produce footballers. One can make it to the top even without the help of academies.

NENA: How one can guard himself against injury? We have seen that many budding footballers were lost because of injury.

B. B.: As football is a body contact game, injuries are normal occurrences. There is no way to avoid it. But to minimize the chances, one will have to stay really fit. And another thing, do not rush your return to the field before the injury is properly healed.

NENA: In your career, you suffered some injuries. How you managed to cope with the injuries?

B. B.: Yes, I had couple of injuries. But every time I gave sufficient time to the injuries to be healed. I did not rush things.

NENA: What was your state of mind when you were passing through such phases?

B. B.: It was not very difficult for me as I know that injury is part and parcel of the game. If you are playing football, you are bound to be injured. So, don’t waste time thinking over the injuries. Rather prepare yourself for the next tough battle ahead.

NENA: What do think should be done for the improvement of Indian football?

B. B.: Don’t ask me to answer this question. I can give you many suggestions. But it will be of no use. No one in the country is really bothered about the standard of football. There is virtually no effort to improve the standard of Indian football.

NENA: You have played for English clubs. What were the differences you saw?

B. B. You can not compare English football with Indian football. English football is professionally managed, where as our officials do not know what modern football management is.

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