Chennaiyin welcomes its first ‘home’ player

In the first year, Chennaiyin FC left no stone unturned to appeal to the local community. The customary vanakkam , the club’s name, its logo et al can be seen as attempts to do precisely this. But, the most important thing was missing — a player from the home State of Tamil Nadu.

On Friday, at the ISL player auction/draft, that prayer was finally answered. Dhanpal Ganesh, a 21-year-old from the city, who plays as a central midfielder for Pune FC in the I-league, was picked by the franchise for Rs. 9 lakh.

“It was unexpected,” Ganesh told The Hindu . “I knew I would be picked by some club. But this was not expected. It gives me an opportunity to play in front of my parents, which I have never done. I am very happy.”

Ganesh did his schooling (till eighth standard) in Vyasarpadi, after which he spent four years at the Neyveli Sports Hostel (2004-2007). This was where his footballing journey started.

“Former India international Raman Vijayan came to the hostel and spoke about his journey in football. He was sort of a role model. He had left a secure government job and gone to play at the higher levels. So, I too decided to do that and didn’t consider playing in the Chennai senior division. I went for the trials in Pune and got selected.”

It was a risky move. He came from a humble family. His father used to whitewash houses and his mother was a homemaker. “It was a risk. My parents were against it. My father used to struggle to even buy me boots. I had to leave my studies too. But, I wanted to play for India.”

He finally realised his dream of turning out in national colours when he came on as a substitute in the preliminary round World Cup qualifier against Nepal in March.

Back in 2011, Ganesh was the first player to graduate from the Pune FC academy to the first team. “Manager Ashok Kumar helped me a lot. He was the one who promoted me. I owe him a lot today. I learnt my football skills there and got my first taste of professional football. All the coaches and owners treat me like their son.”

The ISL, though, will be a different ball-game. “I have watched players like Marco Materazzi only on TV. It will be great to play alongside them. But, I need to practise a lot. There is a huge difference between the level we are at and the level at which they play.”

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-sports/chennaiyin-welcomes-its-first-home-player/article7409527.ece