K.P. Rahul, second right back row, with his team-mates.Thrissur: Academically, there is nothing extraordinary about Kannoly Praveen Rahul or simply K. P. Rahul, the lone Malayali in the Indian squad for the upcoming FIFA U-17 World Cup. The 17-year-old chose to put his educational aspirations on the backburner after completing 10th standard in order to chase his football dreams.
The midfielder, hailing from Ollukkara in Thrissur district, has been a regular at the Indian team’s preparatory camps for the past three years and this call-up was a reward for his consistent performance in the practice matches in India and abroad ahead of the country’s maiden tryst with FIFA competition finals.
As a child, Rahul never had the opportunity to hone his footballing skills under qualified coaches as Bethlehem School in Mukkattukara, where he did his schooling, did not have a football team. He learned the nuances of the game without anybody’s help, playing along with his friends in open fields near his house. Rahul is obliged to his uncle Shibu for spotting the innate talent in him and encouraging him to dream big.
According to his father Praveen, Rahul himself would go in search of football camps in the area during summer vacations rather than laze about and spend two months at home.
Blistering pace
Rahul’s first trainer was S. Narayanan attached to the Thrissur District Football Association. In 2011, he came under the tutelage of M. Peethambaran, former Kerala Santosh Trophy coach, before joining the Sports and Educational Trust’s (SEPT) center at Parappur.
“Rahul is a fantastic box-to-box player and is blessed with unbelievable pace,” said Peethambaran, speaking highly of the youngster.
In 2014, he was selected to represent the U-14 Kerala team. Soon after returning to Kerala from the U-14 Nationals, he received a message to report to the Indian camp for the U-17 World Cup. Justifying the faith reposed on him by selectors, Rahul scored in a friendly against Italy as part of the team’s exposure tour of Europe.
Ollukkara celebrates
When the 21-member Indian squad for the U-17 World Cup was announced, the entire village of Ollukkara celebrated Rahul’s selection by bursting crackers and distributing sweets. Rahul’s mother Bindu and sister Nandana, a class VII student, said they were looking forward to him playing in Kochi, if the team managed to go past the group stage.
The family is also optimistic about Rahul being picked by any of the Indian Super League franchise in the near future.
Indian colts, drawn in Group A, will face the United States in their opening tie at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi on October 6. The other two teams in the group are Colombia and Ghana.
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