BENGALURU: For an aspiring footballer, a training stint at any European club is a big deal. And when it is at the highest level of Spanish football, the joy multiplies as one can boost their skills with the best facilities available. That’s what happened to Ishan Murali (12) and Vidwath Shetty (13). The Bengaluru duo went to Spain for a 10-day training programme with La Liga side CD Leganes recently.
Murali and Shetty, besides two other kids from Mumbai (Rian Katoch, Asik Shaikh), were selected through a scouting process in which 32 players were shortlisted from the LaLiga Football Schools. The selection criteria included technical skill, exemplary behaviour, attitude, history of exceptional performance in LLFS and strong sporting values. In the end, Shetty and Murali aced each of them and were trained by the coaches at Leganes.
While most of the short training stints abroad have limited exposure, this one wasn’t. Right from the first day, kids were exposed to a high level of competition within the group. Murali and Shetty struggled initially as the pressure to perform was a lot. But they managed to get the best out of it.
“The coaches set high standards and it was a really great experience. The level of training was really hard. Everyone was playing at a much higher level. They were good in ball control and keeping possession,” said Murali, a student at National Centre for Excellence. “Coaches helped me improve my dribbling skills and ball possession abilities. It will help me play better.”
For Shetty, it was no different either. The 13-year-old plays as a midfielder and as Spain has produced some of the best midfielders in recent times, he got help too. He learnt it the hard way – fighting for every ball, getting the ball back once he lost the possession and open up attacking options for the forwards. “Players there were more aggressive and that was one thing I had to cope with. The next thing was to learn as much as possible and that I did. I learnt how to keep the possession and getting it back and also to press high,” said Shetty, a student of Bethany High School.
The duo will continue their improvements under the coaches at the LLFS. They want to be professional footballers and don the blue colours one day and they believe the training stint will have a great impact on their career going forward as footballers. If they continue to impress, another training trip could be waiting for them in the land of Xavi, Iniesta and Raul.
“The idea is to help Indian football get better. Only a few could match the criteria we set. Now as they are back, they will be able to help others in the group to play better. We will be sending a group of kids every year for training with different clubs in Spain. And if any of them continue to do well, they can go back as well,” said Kabir Shetty, Business Head - South, LaLiga Football Schools.