MUMBAI: It was a press conference that nobody could have even imagined four years ago. On the right sat Jackson Singh, who'll soon be among the select bunch of Indians to line up in a football world cup. Next to him, sat the ageless Nwankwo Kanu of Inter Milan, Arsenal and Nigeria, multiple-time African footballer of the year, captain of an Olympic gold-winning side, winner of Champions League, Premier Leagues, FA Cups and what not. On the left sat Esteban Cambiasso, winner of 23 titles, more than the likes of Diego Maradona and Alfredo Di Stefano. By the time the interaction was done, Jackson had been asked more questions than Kanu and Cambiasso combined.
Friday was not just the day when India learnt who they were going to play against. It was also when members of the U17 team, after being sequestered from public and the press for nearly two years, were finally let out into the open. And boy did they look effortlessly natural! First Sanjeev Stalin and Dheeraj Singh took their seats alongside national team captain Sunil Chhetri, answered questions and took selfies. Then came Jackson's turn with Cambiasso and Kanu. Finally Sanjeev returned for a post-draw interaction with his national team coach Luis Norton de Matos.
Jackson was immediately peppered with questions about what the mood in the camp was and he sounded optimistic. "I am feeling really good. Not just me, but the entire team. We are also a bit nervous, but it is fine. We respect all teams but we are prepared to take on anyone. We will see how it goes"
He was also vocal about how great the exposure tours that the team had gone on had been. "It was a really great experience, playing Italy and Serbia. We learnt how to keep the ball, how to finish properly. We learnt a lot!"
Sanjeev was also excited after the draw came out slotting India alongside Colombia, USA and Ghana. De Matos had a protective arm around the Bengaluru-born freekick specialist as they came out for the post-draw interaction, but he did not look like he needed it. "It gives us goosebumps to think about it," he said. "It is a historic moment for the country. We hope to play some good games."