Kerala Blasters FC defender Bijoy Varghese believes they have gained massively by playing against Premier League clubs in the recently contested Next Gen Cup. The 22-year-old was part of the Kerala Blasters academy side which took on Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace in the tournament.
The young Tuskers lost by 7-0 against Tottenham Hotspur while they lost 1-4 against Crystal Palace. However, despite these losses, there was a lot to learn for the young players, who have gained a lot by playing against the top young players in the world.
“I was very happy when I came to know about this opportunity because I consider myself incredibly lucky to have a chance to feature against the big clubs,” said Varghese as quoted by the official website of Hero ISL.
“The team and I have gained massively in match experience by playing against them. The technique, touch, and overall quality was amazing,” he added.
The 22-year-old youngster also revealed why he picked Football as his career and said his family played a key role in developing his interest.
“The team and I have gained massively in match experience by playing against them. The technique, touch, and overall quality were amazing,” he added.
“My life has completely transformed with all this hard work. The harder I work, the further I’ve gone. My family has sacrificed a lot for the happiness we have at the moment,” he stated.
Varghese admitted that there was a huge gulf in quality between Indian clubs and Premier League academy teams. However, he feels India can certainly improve by taking part in such tournaments.
“In comparison to the football back home, the quality is drastically different. I did not expect the gulf in quality to be this massive but I realized it straight away when the game began.”
“I’m not saying we are off, but given more opportunities, and by making the kind of facilities and physical training available to us, we can achieve similar levels,” he concluded.
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