On a certain January 17 in 2018, India lay witness to a new record being created in the annals of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) at the JRD Tata Complex in Jamshedpur. Within a mere 22 seconds of the match between the home team and Kerala Blasters FC, Jerry Mawhmingthanga scored the league’s fastest goal of all time. Later, Jamshedpur would go on to win the match - their first victory at home that season and for Jerry, that strike would go on to be his only goal of the season.

However, his impact for his club in their debut Hero ISL season goes way above this record of his, as he featured in 16 games for Jamshedpur through 2017-18 and also assisted thrice, with his pace being one of the major assets of his team. The talented midfielder returns this season to Jamshedpur and will be hoping to find the back of the net more regularly during the 2018-19 campaign. In an exclusive interview with indiansuperleague.com, Jerry opened up about his journey to date.

Childhood ambitions

Growing up, Jerry shared the common dream of most young kids - to become a professional footballer. The Mizoram native gave us a special anecdote on when he made up his mind to pursue a career in football. “I think it was back in my middle school when I was given some classwork to do. I had to write about a hobby or my aim in life. I wrote about becoming a professional footballer, so it started from there. I used to keep working on my football. Being a professional footballer was the only aim that I had since then.”

Pillar of support

Jerry has come a long way since his days in Mizoram and he credits his family as the people responsible for moulding him into a successful professional. “To be honest, everyone in my family backs me up and they are the ones that drive me forward. Even when I feel sad, I look up to my family for inspiration. Everything that I have become is because of my family.”

Rare opportunity

In 2016, while Jerry plied his trade with DSK Shivajians in the Hero I-League, he was given the chance to train at Liverpool FC’s prestigious academy in Melwood. Jerry spoke on his experience at Liverpool and his takeaways from the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “It was a great experience. The environment was very different than it is here. I have learnt a lot of things and it was a lifetime opportunity, to be honest and I am happy to have got such a chance.”

Overwhelming emotions

Talking about his record goal for Jamshedpur last season, the 21-year-old shed light on the emotions that went through his head after scoring as well as the importance of the resulting victory for the team. “It was a normal day, I did my usual stuff. Going into the match, I never expected the opportunity to score so early in the game. It was an amazing feeling. But more importantly, it was Jamshedpur’s first victory at home, so I was extremely happy to have contributed to the victory.”

All set for the season

Jamshedpur come into their second season of the Hero ISL on the back of a fifth-placed finish in 2017-18. This season, the club has bolstered their ranks with a host of new players and a new gaffer at the helm in Cesar Ferrando. Jerry concluded by stating the intentions of the team going into the new term. “We are doing our best every day and we are eagerly waiting for the matches. Let us see where the season takes us.”

Read Jamshedpur’s season preview here.