BENGALURU: Rewind 5-6 years from now and Renedy Singh, Steven Dias and Mehtab Hossain were the contenders for the best midfielder in India. In the last two years, Eugeneson Lyngdoh has surpassed all fellow competitors.
But things were not easy for the Shillong-born midfielder when he was an engineering student in Pune. He had to choose between an engineer’s safe life and a struggling footballer’s life. He chose the latter and started with Rangdajied United in Shillong and later transferred to Shillong Lajong. Things finally took shape when Lyngdoh joined Bengaluru FC in 2014. The 30-year old has since been BFC’s pillar in the midfield. Speaking about his Bengaluru days, Lyngdoh said, “After coming to BFC, everything fell in place. A lot of hard work has gone into getting to where I’m now.”
Usually deployed as a central midfielder, Lyngdoh was pushed forward under Ashley Westwood and now in his new left wing role under Albert Roca, he is improving further. “I think Roca wants me to attack more. He wants me to take on the defender one on one and use my pace,” Lyngdoh said about his new role.