ISL 2015: Pune City winger Israil Gurung's journey encapsulates life of a footballer from Northeast India

Pune: Israil Gurung was hardly a household name until the Indian Super League allowed him to showcase his talents to fuller stadiums and thousands of viewers on television. He may have won the I-League and the IFA shield and played for clubs in Kolkata, Delhi, Goa and Pune, but before his stint at FC Pune City, laden with assists and a couple of goals, he was, as he says, a person with a name that sounds like a country. But Gurung’s journey started way before he was snapped up by Pune City in the first ISL draft in 2014. It started, like it often does for players from Manipur, Assam, Mizoram and Sikkim, with a casual plan of going for a trial to the Sports Authority of India training centre in Siliguri. Catch is, there was no trial that day. [caption id=“attachment_2484846” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Israil Gurung was retained by FC Pune City after some impressive performances. Photo: ISL[/caption] So what did they do then? “Nothing, a coach asked us to play anyway, got impressed, and we were put into the academy,” says Gurung. It sounds pretty simple. In fact, it usually is, at least before academy life begins in earnest. From Northeast’s superstar footballer Shylo Malsawmtluanga to Bhaichung Bhutia – the loneliness, the adjustment to big cities and finally, inspiring more kids to leave home and make the leap to the unpredictable life of a footballer – is a common theme. “I left my studies just like that,” the 26-year-old told Firstpost in an exclusive interview. “I finished my 10th and dropped out midway through the 11th standard. After joining the academy, it was eat, sleep and play football for me. My friends would go home on Saturday and Sunday but I would stay back. Sometimes it was just three people in the entire academy and me taking 15 balls out into the park and training on my own. I loved that.” Gurung soon got a call-up from East Bengal’s Under-19 academy. How, he doesn’t know. “They told me that they had got some information. That’s all I know - I was 14, there were no cellphones, no Facebook and I didn’t have email. So I booked a ticket, took a train and went to Kolkata. My first feeling of the big city? It was mad.” Before buying the ticket though, Gurung had to convince his parents and ‘society’ in Jaigaon, his place of birth on the border of Bhutan, about leaving the town for a place and a profession which was considered as a big detour from the tried and tested method of studying and becoming a doctor. But choosing football doesn’t mean Gurung doesn’t want to study now. He admits, years after dropping out, that he ‘feels’ like going to college and studying - the idea of being a ‘regular’ guy. Gurung describes himself as ‘fun-loving, happy-go-lucky and a family oriented guy’. He says he’s the butt of most jokes made during training, and he likes it. “I’d rather have people laugh at me than make them cry.” But when it comes to making decisions about his career, he isn’t soft or emotional. As soon as Gurung got tired of the people around him, he left. That has in fact worked in making his career better. Sticking around when you’re not liking where you are, is something Gurung can’t stand. “I had issues with people in Kolkata so I left for Delhi. There I got my first contract, where I was paid more than just food, lodging and pocket money. It was a good year, and a stepping stone for my move to Goa.” Gurung was in Goa for five years, where he played for SESA academy and also won the I-League with Churchill Brothers. “I started understanding football here and how I technically lacked – playing on pitches with stones and sharing one ball with 20 kids didn’t really help me early in my career.” But he did well, banging in around 10 goals in his time in the state and improving as a forward. It got him another shot with the big guns in Kolkata. This time it was Mohammedan Sportingin 2013 – and it turned sour sooner than expected. The winger had started missing home after being away for almost ten years at this point and a move to Kolkata, even though the offer was ‘great’, put him in an environment where he could just not concentrate. “I can’t pinpoint what it was and I don’t want to take names, but the culture, the environment and the way things were done at the club was unlike something I had ever experienced. It was too much to take and it was affecting me on the pitch. I was involved in games but the feeling was – let this season get over, please,” Gurung said. Fortunately for Gurung, the ISL draft came at just the right time. He was Pune’s seventh pick and went on to deliver some eye-catching performances for the franchise in the first edition. This earned him a move to Portuguese club Vitória de Guimarães. This, again, didn’t work out. Gurung was injured and his visa was delayed by 45 days. In a six-month deal, he missed half of it in rehab and documentation issues. “When you join a team midway, it has already taken shape and all you can do is train and wait to get fit. It’s so frustrating but it’s a challenge in the life of a footballer,” he said. Now, after a meniscus surgery, Gurung is back, fit and raring to go. He’s already scored a goal and created two this year after being retained by Pune City and says that this stands as testament to his hard work and the risks he has taken. “I’ve missed home but never wanted to go back, because that would mean studying. Now everyone in my place understands that football is a dream you can chase - it’s a way to do something. It’s not like only those born in big cities can play, anyone can,” he said. Gurung is young and still chasing his dreams, but his is a journey which encapsulates that of every footballer from Northeast India. A life of struggle and relentless hard work, of moving from one place to another in the hope to settle at a club - and finally, to inspire. The writer tweets @TheFalseNo9