Be it barefooted on vacant plots or in boots over blades of grass, the game of football is played with the same unbridled passion across Kerala. Small-time contractor P A Wilson is passion for football personified. The spirited Kochiite has seldom spent a day in the last three decades without experiencing the thrill of the ‘people’s game’.
“Football is a way of life,” he said. “I cannot live a day without kicking a ball. The love that one gets from playing football is indescribable. There’s no caste, race or any such issue on a football ground. Only the game matters,” he added.
Wilson has been around in the Ernakulam football circuit right from his school days. In the intervening period, he has worked as a tailor, chauffeur and, most recently, as a painter; but always remaining a footballer at heart. Even at the age of 47, he led Ernakulam Winners to victory in the recent Don Bosco Veterans’ Football Tournament held at Vaduthala. An Elankulam native, Wilson took to the game after reading about it in the papers. “When I was 12, I read about the Brazilian football team and the achievements of Pele. That inspired me,” he said.
Coming from a financially difficult background, he had to overcome odds just to play football. “Neither I nor my friends had any money to buy a football. We used to make big paper balls and play in the fields. We took part in Christmas carol processions to earn money to buy footballs,” he revealed.
Speaking to City Express, former player and current AIFF Referee Assessor S Ramachandran reminisced: “Hard working Wilson was a really good dribbler. In those days, not everyone went on to play for the state. Had he been signed up by a good club early, he would have gone on to play at higher levels.”
Wilson’s passion for football was not limited to his own game. He always tried to groom new talent. Former international defender K A Anson was one of them. “I used to train with Wilson. He played a key role in my development as a young player. He used to make sure that I took part in several tournaments,” Anson said.
Having played alongside Wilson, Kerala Football Association general secretary P Anil Kumar added, “He has so much passion for the game. Having to provide for his family has not stopped him for playing. Even today, his technique and stamina are excellent. I believe that he was unlucky not to have gone further in his career.”