CHENNAI: The last 24 hours or so has been an emotional rollercoaster for Yohaan Benjamin. A Lionel Messi fanboy and an ardent Barcelona supporter, he was struggling to come to terms with his idol's retirement from international football, and on the other hand, he was thrilled by the Catalan club's 5-2 victory against Rayo Vallecano in La Liga late on Monday.
But the past few days couldn't have gone any better for the Mumbai-born teenager. After his first European stint with Slovenian side NK Bravo came to an end this year, his dream of continuing in Europe seemed to have come to a standstill, until a call from the top brass of Portuguese club Guarda FC came through. Interestingly, the club is owned by Indians Jay Agarwal and Vanshvir Shah. The wide midfielder began his football journey through football schools and academies, including Conscient Football Mumbai, Football Academy of Bangalore and Minerva Football Academy, before joining Shillong Lajong early 2022.
"I think the owners wanted to get an Indian player to their club. So they approached my agent. I was on the U20 national team at the time," the 19-year-old recalled to this daily in a virtual interaction.
After they approached him with the offer, Benjamin did not think twice. "Portugal's fourth division is high-level football. I knew I wanted to get into it. So I put pen to paper," he added. Coming off a memorable stint with the youth side of Slovenian club NK Bravo, where he also became the first Indian to appear in a UEFA Youth League match last year, Benjamin is hoping to make his mark in senior football as he is set to play in the fourth tier of Portuguese football.
"Slovenia, at least for me, was more running in gaps and chasing balls. Portugal is a lot more technical, which gets difficult. I only trained for a bit over there, but I already liked it," he said.
As he begins his new chapter, Benjamin believes that Indians can make the cut in Europe. So far, Som Kumar (Radomlje, loaned to ND Slovan), Nihaar Manirama (ND Slovan), Hridaya Jain (NK Brinje Grosuplje), Sragvin Venkatesh (NK Kety Emmi Bistrica) and Divij Surapaneni (NK Brinje) are some of the few names who have found a way to Europe via Slovenia.
"There are so many teams in Europe. But I believe that a lot of my teammates in the national team and even otherwise could play in Europe. It's just that making that move is quite hard. It is quite difficult to leave your family, which is understandable. But players have different journeys and different ways they want to do things. If they come to Europe, then, it takes a while to adapt to a different style of play. But technical ability-wise, I feel like younger Indians, who play at a higher level, could play in Europe,” he explained.
As he awaits his visa approvals to join the team and train, he hopes to earn himself a spot in coach Rui Ferreira's team sheet. "The goal right now is probably to get consistent game time. That's going to be hard, because I think I'm one of the younger players in the team. So, I will have to work for it, which is better," he said.
Style of play
One can’t help but notice the frame of the FC Barcelona’s logo in Benjamin’s home in Mumbai. Much of how he plays and his footballing ideas comes from watching the Spanish giants. A wide midfielder, Yohaan explained he can play on both wings, and is someone who can do a bit of both – cut inside the box to make shooting chances, or stay near the touchline and create as many chances from crosses. “Growing up, I watched Messi play. But then Messi used to come in the center from the wings, which you can't really do when you're a younger player.
“When I used to play on the right, I used to love cutting in, shooting. I feel like I have a good shot,” he explained. But he predominantly plays on the left wing, both at club and national level. “My crossing is one of the better parts about my game style. When I realized this was one of my strengths, I started watching David Beckham a lot because he used to hug the touchline, put in early crosses or take a couple touches and then just whip in for the strikers,” he said.
