BENGALURU: Bengaluru FC’s Suresh Singh Wangjam made his Indian Super League debut in 2019, and ever since the player has taken rapid strides. He has more or less cemented his place as a regular in the BFC midfield despite tough competition. His energy on the pitch, stamina, tackles and his powerful game showcase him as a gritty midfielder, who can make life difficult for opponents. The box to box midfielder has been crucial in breaking other teams' attack as well. Such kind of skills in the ISL did not go unnoticed, with India head coach Igor Stimac handing him a national team debut in March.
The Manipuri, who started in the last three matches of the FIFA World Cup 2022 and AFC Asian Cup 2023 joint qualifiers earlier this month, is aware of the competition that exists for places in the Indian team and Suresh just wants to keep working and become a better player. The midfielder cannot take his place for granted and has to constantly improve. With the big games coming up in the third round of the Asian Cup qualifiers, starting February, ISL performance will be important.
“If you look at the competition in midfield in BFC, that is always there in my position. And in the national squad also in the recent qualifiers, there were highly experienced and skilled midfielders, but I was lucky to get an opportunity. The thing is you have to keep working hard as there is no guarantee of your place in the starting XI. He (Stimac) is very straightforward and asked us to work hard in training. Also, he gives a lot of confidence to young players besides others in the squad,” said Suresh in a virtual interaction.
One of the best things that happened in his career has been the presence of Sunil Chhetri. With both playing for the same club, the 20-year-old has been watching him up close in training, learning from the great man. The youngster has always been impressed with the work ethics of his club and country captain, who is regarded as one of the best ever strikers in Indian football.
“Chhetri bhai, if you look at him, he is such a hard-working guy. For him, each and every training session is so precious, giving it his all. He does not take anything in an easy way. He is also so much focused. That is the reason why he is at the top. In terms of food, he has such a good diet. I have learned a lot.” said Suresh, who signed a new three-year extension deal with Bengaluru, keeping him with the Blues till the 2023-24 season.