Bengaluru FC’s Kozhikode youngster living out his dad’s dream

His dad had been in the Santosh Trophy camp many years ago but never got to play for Kerala. Now, Leon Augustine will be living out his father’s dream when he plays the Santosh Trophy’s South Zone qualifiers next week.

“I’m getting a chance to fulfil my dad’s dream,” said the 21-year-old winger here on Wednesday.

Augustine is so good that the Kerala head coach Bino George revealed he would be relying on him heavily in the championship.

“Leon will be the player to watch, his speed is outstanding. He is also capable of converting small chances into goals. I expect goals to come from Leon... of course from both the wings,” George told The Hindu at the Marriott here on Wednesday.

Early days

Groomed at the SEPT Academy and Universal Academy, the Kozhikode-born Augustine eagerly attended the trials when Bengaluru FC came calling to his hometown to pick talent for its academy.

“I attended Bengaluru’s trials at the EMS Stadium when I was 16 and later got into the reserve team. And last year, I played for the senior team in the AFC Cup,” said Augustine, who had played Santosh Trophy for Karnataka twice earlier, even helping the side to the semifinal.

“The last six years at Bengaluru FC have been great, we have won some big trophies. And playing with players like Sunil Chhetri, it’s more than a dream.”

Lack of striker

Bino George is happy to have sparkling youngsters in his team but he is disappointed that he does not have a quality striker. For a State that produced I.M. Vijayan, that must be shocking.

The problem, says George, is because the focus at the youth academies is not on developing players.

“At academies and coaching camps, even at the grassroot-level, there is not much player-development happening. Everybody wants only results, even if you are a small kid. That is the age when the focus should be on player-development,” said George, an AFC Pro License coach who did a wonderful job at Gokulam FC earlier.

“It’s a sort of new trend. There are a lot of academies but after two years, all they want is to win matches. The focus is on team work that will help win matches, that’s what your bosses tell you too. They don’t produce players, they don’t improve technique. Nobody is working towards grooming quality players or quality strikers.”

Surely, that’s a point to ponder.