Strutting in like a Neymar with his wing runs and Yamal with his hairstyle, Soham Bhagawati has stunned a lot of footballers in Spain where the Dubai lad plays club football.
But what has further startled them is Soham’s Indian passport.
“Many people don’t put India on the map in terms of this level of football. They are genuinely shocked when I tell them that I’m an Indian,” the 22-year-old recalled.
“But the people here they value the fact that someone has travelled this far out of his comfort zone to pursue football as a professional. And that is being something of a special distinction actually.”
Kings World Cup Nations
For someone who started playing the game at 15 in a small training centre in Sharjah, Soham Bhagawati, has come a long way.
Now a permanent face in the under-23 team of Terrassa FC — a Catalan club, Soham was competing at the prestigious Kings World Cup Nations recently — a premier seven-a-side tournament in Brazil representing India.
India were thrashed by Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia respectively in the Group stages, but Soham Bhagawati, more than held his own, displaying fine control and skills in finishing as he scored a couple of goals for the team.
“The Kings League is one thing,” he said. “There have been big names like Neymar, Sergio Agüero and Lamine Yamal linked to the league. I was playing with professionals and experts in futsal, it was great to learn from them.”
But there is another reason this tournament will be now forever special for Soham Bhagawati,.
“It allowed me to meet Neymar, my idol. I’ve been such a big fan of this Brazilian legend, so to meet him in real life was a dream come true,” he grinned.
‘Mentally stronger’
Soham Bhagawati, who studies sports management at EU Business School in Barcelona, then opened up on how moving to Spain three years ago turned his life around completely.
“Growing up in Dubai, you’re always surrounded by family in a very sheltered kind of way. “I was alone in a strange country all of a sudden,” he said.
“I had to do it all myself — cook, clean, organize life. It was nothing like what I was used to. But retroactively it has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. It’s made me stronger in myself, mentally and more independent.”
The big goal
“I have already faced players who are connected to clubs from La Liga like Sporting Gijón and Real Oviedo, so I am now very focused on taking the next step.
“I’ve always had a dream of playing in La Liga 2, which is the second category in Spanish football. “It’s a very, very high standard and I’m working incredibly hard to break into that grade,” he said before thanking his Dubai-based parents.
“I’ve been so blessed to have the support of my family — my father, mother and everyone around me. I couldn’t have done it without them.
“You know I didn’t start at a big academy. It wasn’t even, in fact, an academy. There was a tiny training group that would get together in a park near my house in Sharjah.
“Now I’m here in Barcelona just a few kilometres from Camp Nou where my idol Neymar was playing. One day, hopefully I will rise to La Liga 2, and make my family proud.”