Guwahati, March 9: Fortune always favours the bold and if you are determined and hard-working, no one can stop you. The reference here is footballer Satyajit Bordoloi.
He is a goalkeeper, born and brought up in Morigaon in Assam but won the coveted Santosh Trophy representing Karnataka. Technically, he is one of the rare Assamese to have won the highest honour in Indian domestic football.
Karnataka defeated Meghalaya 3-2 in the final in Riyadh on March 4 to win the Santosh Trophy this time after a gap of 54 years.
“It was my dream to play in the Santosh Trophy and today I’m the winner. It was beyond my imagination. I’m so happy and thankful to all these people who have been my supports,” an emotional Satyajit told The Assam Tribune.
As Satyajit plays for Sporting Club Bengaluru in Bangalore he is eligible to represent Karnataka. He appeared in the trials and Karnataka selectors found him good enough and the rest is history.
Why didn’t he appear for Assam?
“Obviously, everyone would like to represent his or her home state. I too had the dream of representing Assam. But I was not even called for trials, the reason for which I never understood. So, I think whatever has happened, it happened for good,” Satyajit added.
Stairways to Santosh Trophy:
He tried to appear in the trials for the Assam team in 2019 but that didn’t happen. Though down morally, he was determined to make it someday.
In between, he played for Gokulam Kerala and won several titles including Independence Cup and Bodousa Cup among others. Then he joined Kerala United for a brief period. Satyajit was at home when he got a call from Sporting Club Bengaluru.
“My condition was, I want to play in the Santosh Trophy and I would join their club only if I would be allowed to participate in the trials. They agreed and the rest is history,” the 27-year-old custodian added.
Looking back:
In the early 2010s, Satyajit was called for Under-15 trials for the Assam team but he was not selected. Then again he got called for Under-17 trials and there also he faced a similar fate. So, a dejected yet determined Satyajit decided to move out to Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education (LNIPE) in Gwalior.
After 3 years there he was selected for India Under-23 in 2017. But as he failed to prepare his passport in time, Satyajit failed to accompany the team to Qatar.
“Then, I joined Gokulam Kerala FC for three years. I won several trophies like Independence Cup and Bodousa Cup with Gokulam Kerala. Then I joined Kerala United for a brief time,” he said.
Proving father wrong:
Satyajit belongs to a middle-class family and obviously, his father wanted him to focus on his studies so that he can earn a decent livelihood.
“Initially my father was not very supportive as he thought I wouldn’t be able to do anything playing football. But I was determined to prove him wrong. I wanted to show that I can do well playing football. But unfortunately, he is no longer with us today, see what I’m doing,” said Satyajit.
His father Nakul Bordoloi passed away in 2017 suffering from cancer. Now, Satyajit has his mother and sister.
Future goals:
Satyajit understands the reality as he experienced a lot of hardship in the journey so far. He thinks his goal is not very easy but he is determined.
“Obviously, the target is to play for India. But that is not going to be easy. So, I will have to go step by step. First I-League, then ISL and that’s how I have to proceed,” he added.
