Adil Khan: wants to win the Hero ISL.The world of football is littered with examples of decisive interventions by friends, acquaintances and even complete strangers in shaping the careers of the game’s greatest stars. Stories such as Cristiano Ronaldo’s childhood friend Albert Fantrau sacrificing his own career for the sake of his compatriot’s never fail to strike an emotional chord not just with the football crowd but with humanity as a whole.International Adil Khan, the Delhi Dynamos FC’S defensive midfielder and centre back, revealed one such person from the past who helped kickstart his innings in football during a chat with Indiansuperleague.com.“My father didn’t want me to become a footballer, he wanted me to study. My best friend Jack Durado was very close to my father. He kept trying to convince my father and eventually succeeded,” he recalled. “He didn’t just stop there and went on to introduce me to the coach of the local village team. That was where my career started and if my friend wouldn’t have intervened, I probably wouldn’t have become a footballer.”"We play for our fans and derive motivation from them"Adil KhanOther individuals also chipped in with their own little contributions to help the fuzzy haired Goan make the journey from his village team all the way to the senior national squad. “I was really young when I started playing for the village and a little immature, and I didn’t have an idea about what I would do in the future. I joined the SESA academy where coaches like Anthony, Ajay Acharya and Vishwas Gaonkar transformed me into a mature footballer. I am taking all these names because I didn’t become a footballer all by myself, these people are responsible for my success. They even facilitated my entry into the Sporting Clube de Goa set-up for whom I would go on to play for five years,” he said.Adil cites the first I-League goal he scored against Mohun Bagan (whom he went on to represent last season) as the most memorable moment of his career. “It was a beautiful goal and it was very uncharacteristic of a centre back to score such a wonderful goal. I controlled a deflected corner on my chest and volleyed it into the net. I was delirious after scoring and consider it as the most memorable moment of my career so far,” he nostalgically remembered.Adil would dearly like to add to the three international caps in his kitty. But for now his goal is to be consistent for the Delhi Dynamos and win the inaugural Hero Indian Super League (ISL). “I have never won a trophy in my career. I desperately want to win the ISL so that when my children ask me to show my football trophies, I will show them the grandest of all,” he stated.He concludes with a request to all Indian football fans to come and watch the ISL: “We play for our fans and derive motivation from them. So please come and motivate us and we’ll try our hardest to live up to the expectations.”
