KOCHI: Kerala Blasters faced ATK on the opening day of the Indian Super League season with a formidable attacking line-up that included prominent figures like Dimitar Berbatov and Iain Hume. But the player who impressed the most in a dire goalless draw was an unknown Ghanaian by the name of Courage Pekuson.
As if to justify his name, the 22-year-old showed plenty of courage to take on the opposition and the steaming cauldron that was the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi. “It was tiring and at times, I found it difficult to breathe. But we will get used to these conditions in a couple of weeks,” Pekuson told Express on Tuesday.
Compared to some of his other teammates, Kochi’s heat might not have been much of a problem for the Ghana U-23 international as his professional career took off at Al-Nasr Sports Club where he played under Dubai’s simmering sun for two seasons before leaving for Slovenian top division side FC Koper.
Coming to India might seem to be an odd move for the Madina-born footballer, but Courage has always been on the move. “I was born with a football,” said Pekuson. “I was scouted by an agent at the age of 16 who took me to Budapest where I played football for six months and then returned to Ghana only to move to UAE a couple of years later,” he added.
In short, he goes where football takes him. “I don’t have the perception that football is good here and bad there. Football is football. It is the same everywhere. In India, the clubs now have the chance to sign big players like any other club,” said Pekuson, a fan of Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid — the club he dreams to play for one day.
“When you are with players like Berba and (Wes) Brown, you learn a lot more,” said the attacker who is particularly keen to learn from the former Manchester United star. “I have already learnt a bit. Berba’s control, his range of passes and composure on the ball are all top class.”
Courage, who is a left winger, can also play as an attacking midfielder. But his favourite role is that of a second striker. “I can play anywhere. Even if you put me in goal, I can make a couple of good saves,” joked Pekuson.
With Blasters facing Jamshedpur FC in their next game on Friday, all eyes will be on Pekuson now that he has given the Kochi crowd a taste of what to expect from him. “We players know that we didn’t play to our full potential against Kolkata. We wanted to win for ourselves and the fans. We are not happy but it isn’t a disaster. We have many more games coming up to prove ourselves,” he said.
adwaidh@newindianexpress.com