Excited to play amongst legends in Goa: Vijayan

Panaji: When

IM Vijayan

first played in Goa, he was hard to track. That was in 1990 at the National

Football

Championship for the Santosh Trophy when Goa edged out Kerala for the title at the Nehru Stadium in

Fatorda

.

The Santosh Trophy at that time was an experimental under-23 event and a young Vijayan caught everyone’s attention with some breathtaking skills. Goa eventually won the tournament after edging past Vijayan’s Kerala 2-0, thanks to goals from Bruno Coutinho and Thomas Kushboo.

When Vijayan played in Goa a fortnight ago, he was still slippery as an eel. Captaining one team for the

Legends Match

, organised by Vedanta and the Association for the Wellbeing of Elder Sportspersons (

AWES

), he was the star attraction at the Tilak Maidan in Vasco. He simply dazzled with the ball at his feet.

Now, Vijayan is returning to Goa again, this time for a cause that is dear to him. He will be captaining the Kerala Legends and taking on the might of Goa Legends in a much-anticipated friendly at the Duler Football Stadium in Mapusa on Saturday at 6.30pm.

There is no trophy to win but still so much to do. Organised by the John Paul II Foundation for Sport in collaboration with the Goa Football Association, the exhibition match is a fundraiser for the rehabilitation of young kids of the flood-affected victims in Kerala, particularly in football-crazy districts of Wayanad, Mallapuram and Idduki.

“The Kerala legends are coming to play Goa legends at Duler. You are all aware of the devastation the floods caused in Kerala. We are raising funds for those affected. Goa is full of legendary footballers and we are excited to play. I am sure this will be a great game. You have to come to the ground and support all of us,” said Vijayan.

The Goa legends will have 16 international players and will be captained by the state’s first Arjuna Award winner, Brahmanand Shankhwalkar.