Tactically flexible, tenacious, and a goalscorer: Meet Kerala’s versatile forward KP Rahul

In a day and age when players are measured with their words, Indian forward KP Rahul comes across as a whiff of fresh air. Perhaps stemming from his all-action approach to the game, the Kerala youngster feels that his side is second to none, and can pose a serious challenge to their opponents.

The 17-year-old hails from Thrissur, well known for its massive nine-acre Shiva temple that encircles the heart of the town. Former Indian striker IM Vijayan had also started his career in this bustling, football-mad arena.

Seven-a-side tournaments are intrinsic part of the footballing fabric of Kerala. For Rahul to turn into one of the towns’s leading sevens players was the dream of the former’s uncle, KP Pradeep.

Rahul owes his rapid rise through the ranks to his uncle, who he says was his first coach, and the man who spotted the talent in him, “He stood by me like a rock through my growing up years and gave me the confidence to match up against against guys who were older to me,” Rahul told The Field.

Pradeep, an auto-rickshaw driver, observes that his nephew was bitten by the football bug while watching seven-a-side matches during his adolescent years in the packed galleries around Thrissur, “He used to always be my side and we would watch matches together. There were several people who mistook him [Rahul] to be my son because he would accompany me wherever I went,” Pradeep said.

The rapid rise through the youth ranks

Rahul would soon go on to become a regular face in the youth circuit in Thrissur with his uncle in tow. The youngster’s voice changes as he reminisces the hard grind of his pre-teen days, “My uncle was my right-hand man. He was the one who bought me my first footballing gear.”

There was no looking back from there. The forward’s consistent performances earned him a place in his town’s district football camp when he was 14, where he represented the Thrissur U-14 side.

It was during this camp that he was earmarked as one of the state’s best young talents. As luck would have it, Rahul caught the attention of national scouts during an inter-state tournament in Kolkata in 2013 and has been since training in Goa at the All India Football Federation (AIFF) academy.

Many a teenager can be be left dazed after being thrown out of one’s comfort zone. But moving away from his family at a tender age hardly fazed Rahul, who very quickly, adapted to his new surroundings. Some life lessons he learnt as a kid may have played a very big part in Rahul taking on challenges head-on.

While engaging in local games, the diminutive Rahul would regularly be pitted against the big boys in local tournaments, which Pradeep says “alleviated fear from his system”. The little boy would shake off his knocks with ease. So unforgiving were some of the tackles that he once suffered a nasty gash on his nose after colliding with an opponent.

Rahul’s tenacity earned its approval from coach Manoj Kumar, who was the former’s coach at Sports Education Promotion Trust, “He has a lot of fight in him. [Rahul] usually plays as a centre forward but can also play on the wing. What stands out is the boy’s aggression, and his ability to adapt,” Manoj said. “Even four years ago, he was adjudged as the best player in tournaments,” he added.

SEPT has been on the forefront of developing young talent in the state. Defender Ajin Tom, who missed the cut in the final list of Norton de Matos, also grew up under Manoj’s watch.

Lessons on toughening up

Pradeep narrates an incident from Rahul’s childhood days that involved fishing in a lake, which better explains his will to win, “When he would spot a big fish, he would immediately hand the hook to me, telling me that he may not be to pull it out of water, ” Pradeep said. “I told him that whether it is me or him pulling the hook, the result is the same. It doesn’t matter who pulls it.”.

Rahul would go on to become an expert fisher in a few months. It is this determination to succeed, the India No 18 thinks is one of his stand-out qualities.

In the national side, Rahul has been deployed in the middle of the park and on the wings in the Indian setup. He even played wing-back. The youngster is not perturbed, “My uncle always emphasised on shooting with both feet and that has helped my game immensely. I feel, one of my biggest strengths is the ability to adapt and the will to succeed in anything I put my mind in.”

The footballing baton is passed on

Rahul is not the first footballer in his family either. He grew up listening to tales of three other uncles of his, KP Santhosh, Satheesh and Saneesh’s feats on the pitch. Pradeep too, tried his hand at football. Rahul’s grandfather and his father, KP Praveen were also involved in sports.

While Rahul was steadily becoming a major draw, Praveen admits that he may have not been very forthcoming initially, “We had no idea how good he was. It was my brother [Pradeep] who identified the talent in him. We only wanted him to behave and study well,” said Praveen, who is a mid-level businessman.

“We encourage sports in the family and my father was actively involved in sports too. Football, back in the day though, was only reserved for the wealthy kids.”

Skepticism made way for optimism only gradually for Praveen. He says: “The coaches were always encouraging. We took it at face value but had little expectations that he would [go on to] make it to the [India] team.

“I was scared for him as he thrown in the deep end, playing against senior players. Plus, the SEPT camp was 35 kilometers away from home.”

It was a lot different for the ones who watched Rahul from close quarters; they were convinced of what he could do with the ball at his feet, “Even though he studied in a modest school, he received a lot of support from his PE teachers,” Praveen says.

Overseas dairies

Rahul has been part of the Indian side that geared up for the U-17 World Cup by playing in established European nations such as Portugal, Holland and France over the past year. He netted India’s second goal during their stunning 2-0 win against an Italian side at Arizo in May.

Forthright and articulate, he says only a structured, step-by-step approach coupled with tactical nous separates India from the rest of the world, “I think we can match up to their level. People say India is lagging behind in the footballing ladder. But, that is not the case,” Rahul said.

He added, “Many of those teams [European giants] have players who play together for a number of years. That helps their preparations immensely. I refuse to believe that we trailing in in the physical aspect of the game either. Where I feel there is a gulf in class is their tactical approach to the game. [However] I strongly feel India can go toe-to-toe with them.”

What next for Rahul? “Playing in Europe is the ultimate dream for a footballer and that is where I’d like to be in the years to come.”