KASARAGOD: Maharoof Mohammed, a 12-year-old boy from Kasaragod, is the toast of the footballing world. Last day, when schools were shut because of heavy rain, Mahroof and his friends hit the dirt to play football.
In a short video shot by his friends, Maharoof can be seen dribbling past five big boys and sending a prefect cross to his friend waiting at the goal mouth to find the back of the net. The friend takes off his T-shirt and Maharoof runs to hug him.
The 20-second video went viral on WhatsApp and one of his friends posted it on Instagram with the caption “Little Messi”.
On Instagram, Maharoof’s dribbling skills got the attention of footballers and fans. Kerala Blasters’ biggest fan club KBFC Manjappada shared it and footballers started taking notice. Iain Hume, the former ace player of Kerala Blasters, showered praise. He tagged the club’s manager Thomas Antony and wrote: “@thomantony Get this kid signed up NOW!!! #TheFuture”.The video posted by KBFC Manjappada touched 60k.
Hansito Jorge Mulder, who played for Delhi Dynamos and Chennaiyin, sought to know if the boy has an Instagram account.
Mulder, who now plays for Dutch club RKC Waalwijk, shared the video on his timeline saying: “Support my friend @mahruf_parappa. Showing some great footwork aka India Messi”.
Maharoof’s friends immediately started Instagram accounts for him. At the last count, the boy has eight Instagram accounts, including a fan page.
Maharoof comes from a remote village called Parappa in Delampady grama panchayat on the Karnataka border. His father D P Mohammed works as a waiter at a hotel in Kozhikode.
“He plays for local club Parappa Classic,” said Mohammed, who is happy about the attention his son is getting. His mother Misriya is a homemaker.