Had Messi been born in India, would he have been the same player? asks Bhaichung

Former India captain and Indian Super League team Atletico de Kolkata consultant Bhaichung Bhutia has blamed India’s football woes to poor development at the grassroots. “It’s a new coach with a new team and Stephen Constantine should be given time to settle down. My personal view is that instead of overhauling the national team, we should have a combination of youth and experience. But we must put the blame at the right place: our lack of grassroot programmes,” Bhutia was quoted as saying in a Goal.com report. [caption id=“attachment_1617487” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Lionel Messi. AP[/caption] Bhutia questioned whether a player like even Lionel Messi would have been successful with the state of infrastructure in the country. “Our problem is that we always look at the upper part but never focus on the lower parts. This is why we have not managed to discover another talent like IM Vijayan. Had Messi been born here, would he have been the same player with this infrastructure around him?" he asked. Bhutia, one of India’s all-time greats, said that the country needs to carry forward the popularity of the domestic football leagues. He stated the example of the I-League when it generated interest after replacing the National Football League — saying that it’s initial impact has not been taken forward or spread the game across India. THe 38-year-old is also against the ISL and the I-League being merged in the future, saying that the ISL is still an experiment. Click here to read the full report.