You must realise how lucky you are: Kerala Blasters captain Luna to young Indian footballers

Kerala Blasters captain Adrian Luna has urged young Indian footballers to feel grateful for the professional careers they have.

"In such a big country, you have 1.4 billion people. You are able to play professional football, you don't need more motivation than that," Luna said on the eve of Blasters' home match against ISL table-toppers Mohun Bagan Super Giant.

"It is not easy to become a professional footballer in a big country like India. They have to realise, how lucky they are, how blessed they are in this club." The Uruguayan midfielder understands the extent of competition for football in India, having played in the first division here for the last four years.

"... they have to take care of their position. Other young talents are coming up, and if you sleep for one second, you are out," the 32-year-old reminded young footballers in his club and beyond.

Luna's opinion is based on the understanding that it is not easy to reach the highest level of football in any country, let alone sustain it. Despite being part of their U-17 and U-20 squads at FIFA World Cups, Luna has never played for Uruguay's senior national team. Uruguay are ranked 11th in the world (India's rank: 126).

Luna had a remarkable football journey, starting with a few clubs in Montevideo before trying his luck with the youth side of Spanish top-flight side Espanyol. He had a stint with Mexican side Veracruz before joining Australian club Melbourne City FC, with whom he won an A-League title in two years.

The playmaker joined the Blasters in July 2021 and has been one of their finest recruits ever, having made 46 goal contributions, including six assists this season. The Blasters are a club based in Kochi, a city in the central Kerala district of Ernakulam, which has a population of 3.2 million, roughly equal to that of Uruguay.