Not many football players score their first goal from the half-line. In fact, it is rather a rarity when a goal is scored from the half-line in football. But when Sanjeev Stalin struck the ball from the half-way line little did he know that he was articulating one of the rarest forms of scoring goals in football.
In that moment, all Sanjeev could think about was how his father would have been feeling seeing him score a stunner. "My first goal was from the half-way line in a local football tournament and it was an amazing feeling. All I could think about was how happy would my father be at that moment."
"My father played football, but he never played it professionally. In fact, he introduced me to the sport and my father had a dream of seeing me play football for the nation", Stalin says. Hence, when one asks Stalin who his favourite footballer is, he quips, "My father, Stalin senior."
"I am what I am because of him. He made everything possible for me in life. We have cloth shop on the footpath and my father has been my biggest inspiration to never give up in life."
"I started playing football barefoot and the first time I wore cleats, it felt uneasy", Sanjeev says.
"But, after a while, I grew used to them. I was 10 when I first joined the Chandigarh Football Academy and my life changed from there."
Stalin has been a vital clog in the Indian U-17's defence line and has been, "fulfilling his family's wishes".
"My family always wanted me to play football and represent the nation. I am thankful to God that I have a family which supports me through thick and thin. Everything I do is for them," he added.
