HT Kickoff ⚽ As pre-seasons begin, here’s why we should remember Jeje

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Friday, 29 July 2022

By Dhiman Sarkar

As pre-seasons begin, here’s why we should remember Jeje

The boy surprised me, said Sunil Chhetri. “I found him a different player at the last camp he attended.” Chhetri was talking about Rahim Ali, a No. 9 whom Igor Stimac said he would miss in the run-up to the Asian Cup qualifiers. “The boy can play with his back to goal and feed the runners. And he is strong,” said Chhetri.

Stronger than Jeje, I asked. Chhetri paused, looked around the room of journalists who had gathered to pick his brain before India opened their campaign against Cambodia in Kolkata. “No one is stronger than Jeje,” said Chhetri with a smile.

Jeje and Chhetri (Source: PTI)

According to Chhetri, Jeje Lalpekhlua dominated football in India for six, seven years. There were seasons he had more goals for club and country than I and that hasn’t happened too often, he said. “For India, it was almost like Gurpreet (Singh) to Jeje and then we would start.” He was a player who didn’t have a good header, but he could take on defenders, control the ball and then, say, “Bhai, yeh lo!”

By then, Chhetri was half-standing, showing how the bull of a Mizo striker protected a long ball and then found him. He knew the conversation had been derailed but couldn’t, or didn’t want to, stop.

That goal in Bengaluru

Possibly the best example of how well Lalpekhlua and Chhetri combined came in Bengaluru in 2017. India were playing Kyrgyz Republic and hadn’t broken the deadlock till the 69th minute in the 2019 Asian Cup qualifier. Chhetri latched on to a ball from near his penalty area and went solo. He beat three players, almost losing his balance while going past the last man, and found Lalpekhlua in half-space. Chhetri continued his run and Lalpekhlua picked the right moment to essay a chip which Chhetri volleyed home. The embrace told the story of a bromance Chhetri hasn’t experienced since. Stimac is hoping he will once Ali recovers from an adductor injury.

Surgery on his left knee after 2018-19 meant Lalpekhlua was never again the player who helped India regain the SAFF Championship, break into the top 100 of Fifa rankings, get Mohun Bagan their first I-League, Chennayin FC two ISL titles and be chosen the best in the country in 2016.

He is 31, a year older than when Jack Wilshere retired, having lost the battle with injury.

Newly married, Lalpekhlua now does his bit on drug awareness, is setting up a football academy and celebrates India victories from far.

Between two iterations of the Asian Cup, India may have lost a striker who had speed, strength and skill. Attributes which fetched 24 goals and four assists in 56 international games. Attributes which got Stephen Constantine, who will return to India as East Bengal coach, to say that, “Jeje deserved to play outside India.” Everything about Lalpekhlua was an improvement on PC Lalwmpuia, the stocky striker from Mizoram who had flickered all too briefly.

Not giving up

Lalpekhlua hopes the flame will burn again. “I haven’t given up,” he said, over a patchy phone line from Hnahthial, his village in Mizoram. “The injury isn’t bothering me now when I play in the village. If the opportunity comes, who knows, you might see Jeje again.”

“I played with an injury since 2012.” He was then with Pune FC, one of the many teams that have since wound up. The sniper’s best years at Dempo, Mohun Bagan, Chennaiyin FC and India were about playing through pain. “I don’t know how I did it,” he said. Initially, he was told he wouldn’t need surgery. “When you are young you can manage these things. Do rehab well and things will be all right doctors told me.”

Lalpekhlua isn’t sure what went wrong – “maybe the rehab was proper,” he said – but going into the 2019 Asian Cup things were really bad. “I had trouble jumping.” He still scored in the 4-1 win against Thailand.

As he waits for an opportunity, Lalpekhlua is trying to convert a training centre into a residential academy. With his money. There are 60 boys in the under-12 and under-15 age-group and three under-15 girls at the centre, he said.

Stimac has said Ali’s injury was aggravated because he played for Chennaiyin FC when he should have been rested. It may have been the same with Lalpekhlua. Teams would do well to remember this as they start training for what will be a longer season.

IN OTHER NEWS

Jamshedpur retain trio: More on Mizoram. Full-back Ricky Lallawmawma has signed an extension with ISL League Shield winners Jamshedpur FC till 2023-24. The club also gave a new two-season deal to midfielder Jitendra Singh who, like Ali, is another player from the under-17 World Cup squad to have forged a senior career. Centre-back Eli Sabia too has signed a one-year extension.

Messi mate at FC Goa: With Spanish defender Marc Valiente, FC Goa have finalised the full complement of six foreigners. Born in Barcelona, Valiente spent over eight years at La Masia and was a teammate to Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Thiago Motta, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Victor Valdes, Sergio Busquets, Pedro and FC Goa head coach Carlos Pena among others.

Onaindia back at HFC: ISL champions Hyderabad FC have signed Spanish centre-back Odei Onaindia. The defender returns to India after a year’s break.

Jovanovic for Bengaluru: Bengaluru FC have signed 1.96 cm Australian center-back Aleksandar Jovanović. The 32-year-old, who has represented clubs in six countries, is Bengaluru FC’s seventh signing under Simon Grayson.

New head of youth development: Bengaluru FC have appointed Dutchman Jan van Loon as the Blues’ new head of youth development. The 56-year-old, who started as youth coach and coordinator at PSV Eindhoven alongside Guus Hiddink, has held various positions in the youth development programmes at FC Utrecht and Arsenal FC among other clubs. A UEFA A licence holder, Van Loon has also worked with the Dutch football federation.

Moving from I-League: Ayush Chhetri, Ramhlunchhunga and Bhaskar Roy joined ISL clubs from I-League on multi-year deals. Midfielder Chhetri signed a three-year deal with FC Goa, forward Ramhlunchhunga joined Hyderabad FC and goalie Roy will be with Mumbai City FC till 2024. Chhetri and Ramhlunchhunga were with Aizawl FC and Rajasthan FC’s Roy won the golden glove last term.

Hope Solo pleads guilty: Former US women's national team star goalkeeper Hope Solo pleaded guilty to driving while impaired, almost four months after she was found passed out behind the wheel of a vehicle in North Carolina with her two-year-old twins inside. Solo, 40, said, “it was incredibly hard and I made a huge mistake. Easily the worst mistake of my life. I underestimated what a destructive part of my life alcohol had become.”

Mathys Tel was signed by Bayern Munich (Source: Getty)

Tel signs for $30m: Bayern Munich signed French teenager Mathys Tel from Rennes for a reported fee of up to $30.6 million, says AP. The 17-year-old forward had a contract with Rennes through 2024. Bayern manager Julian Nagelsmann said Tel was not a direct replacement for Bundesliga top-scorer Robert Lewandowski, who has left for Barcelona. “But he could one day be one of the best forwards and that’s our aim, our plan.”

Scamacca joins West Ham: West Ham got striker Gianluca Scamacca from Sassuolo in a five-year deal worth £35.5m, according to the Guardian. “They showed they really wanted me and when I spoke to the manager there was an instant understanding,” Scamacca said.

South Africa best: Hilda Magaia’s brace helped South Africa win their first Women’s Africa Cup of Nations beating hosts Morocco 2-1 in the final that saw three late goals. Magaia’s strikes in the 63rd and 71st minutes fetched her the player-of-the-final award in a competition where South Africa’s Andile Dlamini won the best goalkeeper award and the team bagged the fairplay trophy. Morocco skipper Ghizlane Chebbak was adjudged player of the tournament.

Yaya Toure’s role at Spurs: Like Wilshere at Arsenal, Yaya Toure has been given a full-time role in Tottenham’s academy. It was at Spurs that the three-time Premier League winner with Manchester City worked for his UEFA A licence. Toure’s brother Kolo is Leicester’s first-team coach.

Japan best: Tournament hosts Japan won the East Asian Championship for only the second time after a 3-0 victory over defending champions South Korea. This was the Samurai Blue’s first regional title since 2013. China finished third. Japan also bested the women’s competition where China were second and South Korea third.

Awards for Mane, Oshoala: Sadio Mane was named African player of the year for the second time beating former Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah and Chelsea and Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. Aliou Cisse of Senegal won men's coach of the year. Barcelona’s Asisat Oshoala who represents Nigeria won the women's player of the year for a record fifth time.

Compensation for Conceicao: Cameroon will have to pay former coach Toni Conceicao compensation of $1.63 million following a verdict from Fifa’s Football Tribunal. Conceicao was sacked after Cameroon finished third at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations finals. The decision follows a complaint by Conceicao alleging breach of contract.

Mee on a free: Brentford have signed former Burnley captain Ben Mee on a free. The defender has agreed to a two-year deal. Mee’s contract had expired following Burnley’s relegation. Mee, who played almost 400 times for Burnley, is Brentford's fourth signing after Aaron Hickey, Keane Lewis-Potter and Thomas Strakosha.

Jesse Lingard signed for former European champions Nottingham Forest (Source: Instagram)

Lingard joins Forest: Nottingham Forest have signed Jesse Lingard on a free transfer. The England midfielder was available after ending his 22-year association with Manchester United during the offseason. Lingard is the 11th signing made by the promoted club as it prepares for a first season in the Premier League since 1999.

Suárez homeward bound: Luis Suárez has signed for Nacional de Montevideo, the Uruguayan club where he began a glittering career in 2005. Suarez, 35, became a free agent after his two-season contract expired with Atletico Madrid. “Happy to have you home,” the team said.

Haller out for several months: New Borussia Dortmund signing Sebastien Haller will be out for several months after surgery for a tumour discovered in his testicle, the Bundesliga club has said. The surgery was successful, said Dortmund’s sporting director Sebastian Kehl.

Paris finale: Football in the Paris Olympics will end with the women’s final and not the men’s for the first time, Fifa has announced. The women's final will take place on August 10 at the Parc des Princes in Paris one day after the men's gold-medal match at the same stadium.

Play of the Week

(Click to expand)

Heel of a finish!

England’s Alessia Russo’s backheel goal against Sweden in the Euro semis was a gem (Source: Getty Images)

By way of a finish with a flourish, this will take some beating. England were leading Sweden 2-0 when Alessia Russo scored with a backheel that nutmegged goalie Hedvig Lindahl. “All I can remember is that I missed a sitter at first and I thought ‘I’ve got to do something about this’. I just got it in the net as quickly as I could. It was great. I can’t really remember what happened or what really came over me to even try and do that,” Russo told BBC. England will play Germany, who beat France 2-1 in the other semi-final, for the title at Wembley on Sunday.

They said it

I have been a football fan since I was a child and so am absolutely delighted to be appointed Chair of the Premier League

Alison Brittain who will be the first woman to head the Premier League from next year.

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Written by Dhiman Sarkar. Produced by Nirmalya Dutta. Send in your feedback to dhiman@htlive.com or nirmalya.dutta@htdigital.in

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HT Kickoff ⚽ As pre-seasons begin, here’s why we should remember Jeje

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