This is a chronicle of the journey of a man from Japan, who was in search of his roots and love - and he found both in India. Arata Izumi has come a long way since his days as a car painter at Mitsubishi motors to being bought for a whopping sum of Rs 68 lakh by ISL champions Atletico de Kolkata, but has never forgotten his roots.

Born to a Gujarati father and a Japanese mother, Izumi was blessed with diverse roots, and he has embraced both with a passion we strive for.

Hailing from the city of Shimonoseki, mostly known as the 'Fugu Capital' for harvesting the delicious but deadly pufferfish, Izumi had a difficult start to his life. When he was eight, his father walked out on them one day, leaving his mother to fend for herself and the kids. Even to this day, Izumi is not too comfortable in talking about that part of his life.

Izumi even has an Indian name – Neelkanth Khambholjia – but he prefers using his Japanese name. Perhaps it reminded him of a part of life he was not too fond of.

Sports filled up a lot of the void that was created in his life at that point, and his love story with football started at the age of nine. As a kid, Izumi had more interest in baseball and swimming. It was his brother who introduced him to football. He would casually accompany his brother for his practice sessions. During one of those visits, he hit the ball during a shooting practice and there was no turning back.

“The first time I hit the ball, it happened to be a shooting practice. My shot was a good one and went into the goal and people around me applauded. Then I started to practice every day and that is how my football life started,” he later said in an interview with Rediff.

In footballing terms, Izumi was a bit of a late bloomer and it was not until he was a 23-year-old that he started to play professionally. Izumi started playing at the Japan Soccer College, which is affiliated to Albirex Niigata, one of the most well-supported clubs in Japan. He then signed for Albirex Niigata Singapore, also a satellite team of the Japanese club, in the Singaporean professional league (S.League). It did not take long for the Japanese midfielder to win over the fans in the new country. His explosive pace, with and without the ball, along with his brilliant ball control saw being labeled as the fastest player in the S.League in 2005.

Izumi still cherishes the memory of his first professional goal. A delightful control to trap a cross from the right wing, before chipping the Tampinens Rovers FC goalkeeper to find the back of the net.

After spending a season in Singapore, Izumi returned to Japan and signed for 3rd division club Mitsubishi Mizushima FC. Alongside his football career, he joined Mitsubishi motors as a 'Toso' – a car painter. It was a humbling experience.

His day started at 5 am, after which he would work for 12 hours till 6 PM in the factory. Then he would practice football for two hours with his teammates. This schedule, along with traveling for matches, continued for eight long months and Izumi survived on nothing more than hope and determination.

It would perhaps have been easier for him to give up his dream and work permanently at Mitsubishi, but he refused to do so. His talent and success on the pitch did not go unnoticed, and before long he received an offer from East Bengal, and with it the chance to explore the motherland of his father.

“Left my secure job with Mitsubishi motors’ to follow my dream of playing international football and I did, Singapore 2005 and Japan 2006.

The most difficult part was to leave my secure environment for an offer to play in India in 2006. Born to a Japanese mother and an Indian father, I think I was instinctively driven to the mystical land, India,” Izumi told Sportskeeda.

Later, Izumi accepted that the passion for the big 'Kolkata derby' was one of the reasons which drew him to the nation.

“When I was playing in Singapore, you know there are a lot of Indians in that country, one of them was into football and he spoke to me regarding playing in India. That was the start.

Initially I didn't know anything about Indian football, and also doubted him. But slowly I started to get information about Indian football.

Then I realised there's a lot of history. Clubs like Mohun Bagan and East Bengal are more than 100 years old. And more than one lakh people watch the Kolkata derby every year. I realised there was a lot of passion for football. These things made me think about shifting to India,” he was quoted as saying by Rediff.

Perhaps destiny did play a part in bringing him back to his roots. But, it was not a rosy start for Izumi, who initially struggled to get accustomed to extreme weather conditions, food and the hugely different style of Indian football.

The warm welcome, love and attention showered on him by the football-crazy East Bengal fans since the moment he stepped out of the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, was overwhelming. Izumi was not accustomed to such receptions, but that warmth did help him settle down at the club.

"I started my career in Singapore before moving to Japan, but India is a different place for foreigners. Attention-wise you get so much more here while I was 'just another player' in Japan," Izumi told Firstpost in an interview in 2013.

Izumi loved the attention, and also the money. Being someone from a very humble beginning, Izumi knows the value and importance of money in life, and he modestly accepts it, unlike a lot of others.

"Obviously I care about money! It's also about getting a chance. People ask me why I don't go abroad and play... but there has to be an opportunity right?" Izumi added.

The midfielder racked up 10 assists and 1 goal for East Bengal in the 2006-07 season. The experience of playing in front of 90,000 fans in the derby match against Mohun Bagan was one he would tell his grand-kids about.

Izumi also went on to witness a big transformation in Indian football. The semi-professional National Football League (NFL) got re-branded into the I-League, with a much more professional setup, in 2007. It was a new beginning for Izumi, who signed for Mahindra United.

Unfortunately, he picked up an injury at the start of the season and was sidelined for almost six months. It was the first time he had been out of the game for a such a time period.

But as always, he turned adversity into opportunity. He used the six months to get a better understanding of his body and its limits and emerged a more complete footballer. By the end of the season, Izumi had propelled Mahindra United to success in the Mumbai league and the Durand Cup.

Like Izumi, a new football club in India was making the headlines for all the right reasons – Pune FC- they started the new wave of Indian clubs who brought in the professionalism that the sport lacked in India. Izumi signed for the Red Lizards in 2009, right after they were promoted to the I-League, and the midfielder marks it as the turning point in his career.

By the end of 2010, Izumi had tallied 10 goals and 10 assists in 26 matches for the club. He quickly became the fan favorite and was the highest scoring midfielder in the league and helped Pune finish 3rd - an impressive achievement for a newly promoted club. Pune FC awarded him with the 'Man of Steel' honor, along with a new contract in 2012.

His stint at Pune FC also gave him two unforgettable gifts – the opportunity to play for India, and the love of life Sweta Manerikar.

"I will give up my Japanese passport and I am in the process of applying for an Indian passport as I want to represent the Indian football team," Izumi told Indian Express in 2010.

While playing for Pune, Izumi fell in love with Sweta, the club's physio at that time. They were engaged in Japan and later got married in Pune in 2010 - the romantic tale of a man who came in search of his father's roots in India through the sport he loves, found the love of his life and eventually his new roots. He, however, regrets not being able to make it to his home country's national team.

“Playing for his country is a dream for any footballer. So, obviously, there is some regret. I was born in Japan and started playing football there. Having become a professional footballer I was dreaming to play for Japan, but, in reality, there was no chance for me. Or, maybe, I missed the chance. With my age – right now I am 30 years old – to get into the national team of Japan is almost impossible,” a humble Izumi told Rediff in 2013.

Izumi also recalls, and thanks, how his wife gave up her career to ensure that Izumi gets the Indian citizenship he requires in order to get into the national team.

“The process was really tough. First of all, there hadn't been a case of a Japanese taking up Indian citizenship. So no one knew how to start with. Literally, we met more than 10 lawyers to get all the information and it took more than a year. Then I came to know under which section I could apply. That was followed by a lot of documentation. My wife (a physiotherapist) sacrificed her career to get all of this done. I don't know how to appreciate her effort,” Izumi added.

Eventually, after a lot of hustle, Izumi got his citizenship and with it, the chance to play for the Indian national team. Indian coach Wim Koevermans selected him in the 23-man squad which would play a friendly against Palestine in February, 2012. When asked about who broke him this news, the reply was unexpected.

“It was me to myself. I was checking the AIFF home page for results of league matches and I came across the article mentioning the National team Coach’s choice of 23 players for the forthcoming international friendly. At first, I wondered if there was anyone from Pune FC and found Gurjinder (Kumar) and was really happy. Then, I began to check midfielders. And there I found my name. It was like… well, MY NAME!!!! And yep, the next thing I did was call my wife and my mother in Japan,” Izumi recalls.

Izumi has gone on to make nine more appearances for the national team.

He featured in the 10-man list of Indian players who went up in auction for ISL 2015 and was bought for Rs 68 Lakh by defending champions Atletico de Kolkata.

Izumi was back playing for the state where he started his Indian journey. He did not make it to the starting line-up in Kolkata's opening game against Chennaiyin. But with marquee player Helder Postiga out with an injury, Antonio Habas brought Izumi in. He made an immediate impact and scored two goals in his next two matches.

His run in the starting line-up, however, was halted due to an injury. But, he returned to grab the headlines in some style. Kolkata were tied at 1-1 with Kerala Blasters in Kochi and Habas decided to bring on Izumi in place of Jaime Gavilan. The midfielder went on to score two goals, including a 90th minute winner as the match ended 3-2 in favour of the visitors. That proved to be a turning point in Atletico's season as they went on a five-match unbeaten run, to secure their place in the semis.

Despite playing just nine games so far, due to injuries, Izumi is the second highest goalscorer for his club this season (5). Although he faces an uncertain future following Pune FC's decision to close down their first team operation, Izumi's ISL performance is enough to attract a lot of suitors from other I-League clubs.

Life is good for Izumi in India at the moment. However, he would hold on to his original roots. "The Japanese in me will never die. I miss Japan and my friends over there, but I make sure that my mother comes every year to watch me play. I haven't got the time to go back home in the last three years, but hope to do so soon,” he said back in 2013.