NorthEast United FC winger Redeem Tlang feels the club is heading in the right direction. The Highlanders finished the Indian Super League 2023-24 season in seventh place in the standings with six wins in 22 games and thus could not seal their playoff place.

The club was able to turn the tables in the recently concluded season after finishing as the cellar dwellers in the 2022-23 edition.

Meanwhile, Tlang has been growing in confidence under the tutelage of head coach Juan Pedro Benali. The 29-year-old played 17 matches for NorthEast United FC in 2023-24 season, clocking 695 minutes on the pitch.

Tlang revealed how he fell in love with the game and also named the player who caught his attention.

“It was around 2002, I started to play football with my uncle when they were in college. I used to just follow them to the field. When the ball used to go out of play, they used to ask me to go fetch the ball. I used to pick the ball up and kick it. That’s how it started,” Tlang told NorthEast United FC media.

“In the summer of 2002, the finals of the World Cup, Germany vs. Brazil. I had just come back from playing with my friends and my entire family was sitting in the living room watching the game.

“They called me, “Come watch, it’s the finals”, I had never seen a football game on TV before that. And when I saw the match, I fell in love with Brazil, especially with Ronaldo Nazario and his famous haircut,” he added.

Tlang reflected on his journey and revealed how challenging it was for him to come through the ranks as there were no football academies in Shillong during his time.

“Those days, there were no academies in Shillong. It was nothing. Parents were also scared because their children might get injured without proper physio and stuff. So that’s why it was difficult for the parents to allow us to play. Even my parents as well, when I was young, I just used to sneak out to play,” he said.

Tlang will look to deliver for NorthEast United FC in the next season.