Becoming a source of an inspiration for many sports enthusiasts in the country, Chandan Nayak, a 11-year-old football prodigy known to be from the Sabar Sahi slum in Bhubaneswar, has been given the golden opportunity to train with Bundesliga outfit Bayern Munich. One of the top clubs in European football will welcome Chandan, who has been gifted an opportunity to become an academy player for a fully paid junior football camp to be held with the German club.
This unique boy comes from an underprivileged/poor family and has faced several problems to reach where he is today. His father left the family when Chandan was quite young and his mother currently earns money working as a domestic helper. His coach, Jaydev Mahapatra, caught a glimpse of his marvelous skills at such a young age and eventually decided to train him for a period of about three years.
“I am very happy, I want to become a player for the Indian team one day. I really want to thank my coach,” Chandan stated in a recent interview and further added that Lionel Messi is his favourite player.
The round for selection was organized at Kalinga Stadium. Initially he was not even considered for participation initially because of his short height, but after his coach convinced the committee members, they let him showcase his talent. They were really surprised by his performances and the last round of selection was conducted in Pune, Maharashtra.
Jaydev also stated that the coach of Chennai Football Club, and Indian Football Icon Sunil Chhetri were very much impressed by Chandan’s performance.
They have promised the young lad that he will receive proper coaching in one of India’s premier football clubs after returning from Germany.
After the selection, his coach realized that Chandan did not have a birth certificate. While there were a few concerns at the start, they received some assistance from both the state and central government and his passport, visa and birth certificate were all ready in time. Chandan will be leaving for Germany on August 25. He will receive training from some of the best coaches in Germany and along with 120 students from across the world.
“The training he will receive there is beyond comparison [with anything] that we can give him in India. It is a huge opportunity. He will create a huge expectation for the slum kids who play soccer today,” said Jaydev.
