The last edition of Nehru Cup gave India a new hero to cheer about. N.P.Pradeep’s name was celebrated in almost all sections of the media. The Kerala star speaks on his game over the course of the last two years or so...
The 26 year old from Idukki, a village in Kerala, created a stir with his goalscoring capabilities. He scored the opener for India against Cambodia in the 6-0 thrashing while he came back from an injury to win the Nehru Cup against the Syrians.
Everyone wrote extensive copies praising Pradeep and tried to look for all the possible angles in order to glorify him further. The critics lauded his performance and many even billed him as the ‘next star’.
But after two years, though Pradeep is still part of the national set-up and one of the best in the midfield, he hasn’t yet reached the mark which everyone expected him to.
“At the club level, it’s true that I haven’t excelled much over the last two years. The reasons for that are various. At the national level, I feel good and hence, have done well on a regular basis for them,” said Pradeep.
The more versatile a player is, the handier the player is for the coach as he can utilize him as and when he needs. No wonder Pradeep has played in almost all positions including that of a striker!
“I can play where the coach wants me to but my preferred position is in the central midfield,” said Pradeep.
The Mahindra United player focuses on the team and the job at hand when they take on Lebanon later this evening.
“Lebanon are a good side and I think we can beat them. The confidence in the team is high especially after the tour to Barcelona. The team has been together for the last two months and that does make a difference.”
Pradeep feels that by having more tournaments in the country, it’s a great way to promote the sport as people, in general, would become aware of the national team.
“Tournaments make the game popular and it’s a known fact. I feel the team does deserve a little more recognition,” added Pradeep.
Source: Goal.com
From the archive. First published on footballkerala.com on Friday 21 August 2009, restored from the site's 2012 database. Text as originally published.