Kerala stars aim higher after historic win

Kochi: For most involved in Kerala's triumph in the 75th Santosh Trophy national football championship, it is the highest point of their sporting careers. But the general mood in the Kerala camp is not that of contentment, but that of hunger for more success -- both individually and as a team. While the players who defeated tradition arch-rivals West Bengal in a keenly-contested final at the Payyanad Stadium in

Manjeri

on Monday are the talk of the town and are attracting interest from some of the biggest clubs in the country, the Kerala Football Association is already planning for more success for the state. "Winning the Santosh Trophy is a dream come true, but I want to try to play professional football now and see where it takes me," said Kerala captain Jijo Joseph on the sidelines of the reception accorded by the KFA in Kochi on Wednesday. "I am 29 now and it is something I want to experience before finishing my career," said Jijo, who has already announced his retirement from the state team. Indian Super League clubs including Kerala Blasters and Hyderabad FC as well as I-League clubs including defending champions Gokulam Kerala are all after the signatures of Kerala's champion players including veterans like Jijo and youngsters like Jesin TK, Noufal PN and Soyal Joshy. "It is important that we need to sustain this success," said

Bino George

, Kerala head coach. "Tournaments like the Kerala Premier League which KFA has been organising for the past few years have contributed to our success by unearthing a number of talents," added the coach. "Along with West Bengal, Kerala have always flown the flag of Indian football. And to return us to the top of the sport has not been an easy task," said KFA general secretary

P Anilkumar

.