It was indeed a pride month for Indian football when Sudeva Delhi forward Shubho Paul was selected in Bayern Munich World squad (U-19). It is a team that has been handpicked by former Bayern and Germany player Klaus Augenthaler. The legendary player was also a part of the West Germany side which won the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
Paul’s performances for Sudeva in the last I-League season impressed the coaches at Bayern and hence he has been picked among other young players.
“It’s a really happy moment for me and my family. It’s really an amazing feeling,” Shubho Paul said to AIFF. “We had a decent first season in the I-League, and our club management sent in some of my match videos, and suddenly I was informed that I had been selected by Bayern Munich.”
“It is like a dream, but I also have a thought in the back of my mind that I need to make my nation proud, once I go there,” he continued.
“I want to play in such a manner that they should look at my game and think that a good player has come out of India. Ultimately, I would love to make it to both the Bayern Munich and the India Senior Teams.”
Shubho was selected on the basis of videos and later they asked for full match footages to look even more closely at the youngster. At first, the German giants selected 100 players all across the world then they cut it down to 64 in the World Squad. Later they narrowed it down even more to 35 and at last selected the top 15 players. Shubho was delighted to see his name in the final teamsheet as it now allows him to train in Germany.
“Once I was selected in the 100s list, we had different kinds of assessment over video calls with the coaches from the club. Then finally, when they announced the list of 15 players that will train and play in Germany, I was surprised to see my name there,” smiled Shubho Paul.
The 17-year-old forward will travel to Mexico at the end of this month where the 15 players will assemble and train for around 13 days before flying to Germany. The session in Mexico is mostly to allow the players to know each other and develop chemistry. Shubho is all set to train with the Bayern U-19 team and also play matches against local youth teams.
The youngster is grateful to Sudeva for their constant association with Bayern. He has been at Sudeva since the age of 12 and is already making a name for him in five years. The youngster also credited his former India U-16 coach Bibiano Fernandes for nurturing him especially in tactical aspects of the game.
“Sudeva helped me a lot. I’ve been at the academy since I was 12, and have learnt all the basics from there. The owners, Our club owners have been extremely helpful to me. They even played an active part in sending these videos to Bayern Munich,” said Shubho Paul.
“I learnt so much from Bibiano sir. The fact that I am playing as a winger today, and the fact that I can play on both the left and right wings, is down to him. He taught me the nuances of playing on both the wings, and I’ll be eternally grateful to him for that,” he concluded.
