As Imphal gets ready to host the Indian football team for the first time in history in a Tri-nation tournament, one player who would loved to be have been a part of the historic moment would sadly be watching the game from his home - Jeje Lalpekhlua.
Known as the Mizo Sniper, Jeje was forced to announce his retirement from the game last month after a long struggle with injuries. Still trying to come to terms with the decision, he couldn't hide his excitement at the national team playing in Imphal for the first time.
"The craze for the game is fantastic in the northeast, so it's great that the tournament is being hosted by Manipur. Hopefully, one day something similar will happen in Mizoram and that will help bring in lots of fans," said Jeje.
Despite having retired, the player from Mizoram is by no means away from the game. He has his own academy in Mizoram named 'Jeje12 Football Academy' where as many as 50 kids are training currently.
"In the last six-seven years, I have been organizing summer camps and winter camps for the village kids whenever I came home during the off season," said the former India player.
One of the best strikers in the country over the past decade, Jeje won almost all the top honours in Indian club football. But it was his exploits with the national team that made him the star. He played 56 matches and scored 23 goals. With Sunil Chhetri by his side, the duo formed a potent threat upfront and together they helped the country win the SAFF Championship in 2011 and 2015.
He achieved it all playing with pain on most occasions. It was way back in 2012 during an I-League game that he suffered a left knee injury while playing for Pune FC against Air India when he clashed with the goalkeeper.
"Since then I never played a game with 100% fitness. Also after my injury my shooting took a dip, it hurt my confidence and my speed also got reduced," he added. "However, these days I feel quite overwhelmed that I played all these years with the pain."
While he is pleased with the improvements that have come with ISL, he believes the Indian team will perform with time.
"There are a number of young players in the squad and I hope the team will do well in the upcoming tournaments. Also, with players getting more games in the coming days, they are sure to do well when playing for the national team."
