Panaji: Many people have asked Aryn Williams why he is keen to give up his British and Australian passports and take up the blue of India instead.

The Neroca FC midfielder – originally a defender -- is not surprised with the questions; people give more than just an arm and a leg for those two passports, yet Aryn wants to give it away for a dream that he has been cherishing for a while.

“A lot many would find it hard to believe that I want to play for India but it’s been a goal of mine for quite a number of years. Now that it’s coming close, I am trying to grasp every opportunity and show that I am worthy of wearing the Indian ( football ) jersey,” said Aryn.

Born in Australia to an Indian mother from Mumbai, Aryn, 24, can get his Indian passport sooner than expected. And if that happens, his selection to the national team should be a mere formality.

He’s got quite a pedigree. His elder brother and former Middlesbrough captain Rhys has played for the Australian senior football team, while twin brother Ryan has been part of the U-23 team. Aryn himself has tried his luck with the U-17s and U-19s but found it difficult to break through.

“For me, it was an unrealistic goal to pursue the Australian national team. I can also play for England but that’s out of my reach,” said Aryn, who started his career in England with Burnley but returned to Australia as a 19-year-old.

Aryn has made quite a few heads turn with his performance in the I-League with Neroca this season, even though he is being played out of position. The title-contenders slipped up in the title race with consecutive defeats at home. But even if the debutants from Manipur don’t go all the way, a good reward it will be if he can catch coach Stephen Constantine’s eyes.

“Football is a short career. When given an opportunity, you need to make sacrifices and I am willing to make that sacrifice. My focus is to get my Indian passport and hopefully get selected for the Asian Cup (2019),” said Aryn, whose grandfather, Lincoln Grostate, was an accomplished footballer in Maharashtra during the fifties.

Next year’s Asian Cup is Indian football’s next big assignment where bigwigs from the continent will converge in UAE. Aryn has started the process of obtaining his passport. Necessary papers have been kept ready, and it’s only a matter of time before he completes the process.

“Playing for India has always been on my mind. My granddad played football in India for many years. Growing up, he said it would be great if someone could play for India. Now I realise it’s not unrealistic.

“I came here out of choice, rather than compulsion. I had a couple of offers from Australia and Europe after my stint with Perth Glory (in the A-League). Indian football is growing at a rapid pace, and if I can make a name for myself, I can have a successful career in India. It’s not necessary that you should only play in England or Australia to have a successful football career. You can come to places like India and year by year, football is growing. I don’t think football has been any bigger (in India) than what it is right now,” said Aryn.

Japanese midfielder Izumi Arata was the first to surrender his passport and obtain Indian nationality that helped him pull on the India jersey. Canadian Sunny Dhaliwal did the same to live his U-17 World Cup dream. Now, Aryn wants to add his name to that select list.