THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Indian railways player Merwin Stephen was one of the players in the USIC Football Final, a tournament organised by the International Railway Sports Association last month in Saint-Mandrier-sur-Mer, France. The railways team got the opportunity after beating the likes of Norway, Switzerland and Denmark to emerge first in the qualifying event held in Denmark last year. The 25-year-old is in the city with his team, Western Railways, which is competing in the ongoing Mayor’s Cup. This is Merwin’s second time in the city after a gap of four years.
Nine teams participated in the USIC. “We won the matches against Bulgaria and Switzerland. But we lost the league on goal difference,” said the Mumbai-born player. It was his first time at an international football tournament. He also felt that the foreign players had better stamina, height and strength.
In 2015, Merwin was part of the Maharashtra team which bagged the runner’s up position in the Santosh Trophy Tournament. Merwin had also previously played for the National U-13 and U-16 sides. He credited his father for his achievements as a player.
“I started playing the sport because of him. He has always supported me and I call him before every match to seek his blessings,” said Merwin. He dreams of playing for the Indian football team and the Super League some day. “Hopefully I get the chance to play alongside Sunil Chetri and my friend Brandon Fernandes,’’ he said.
He also shared his love for Kerala cuisine and the Thiruvananthapuram zoo. “The zoo is one of my favourite hotspots as I’m fond of animals,’’ said Merwin. He is planning next to participate in the Neymar Jr’s Five, a football tournament which will be held in Brazil. Merwin had previously played in the tournament in 2017 when he met his idol, Brazillian footballer Neymar. “I was very happy to see him play at the venue,’’ he said.