After hanging up his boots, Ryuji Sueoka is repairing boots for aspiring Indian footballers

RYUJI SUEOKA, a Japanese attacking medio who earned accolades in India playing for top division clubs like Mohun Bagan, Salgaocar, East Bengal and Pune FC, has won a lot of hearts in the footballing world with his innovative boot-repairing initiative for the benefit of Indian kids who can't afford expensive football gear.

Sueoka arrived in India in 2009 to play for Mohun Bagan. He earned quite a few accolades; especially the I-League Player of the Year Award he won in 2011 while playing for Salgaocar. He stayed in the country till 2015 when he retired as a player.

During his time here, he was moved by the prevailing poverty and the struggles aspiring footballers in India from less privileged backgrounds go through as professional football equipment is often priced beyond their means. He was also fascinated by the roadside shoemakers in the country who were highly skillful and repaired his studs with finesse whenever they went through some wear and tear.

So after retirement, Sueoka decided to start a project that would help the poorer kids in India in an innovative way. After learning the skills of a shoemaker, he collected the broken or torn shoes that are usually discarded by Japanese footballers. Then he set up a shop where he would repair the shoes and send them to India for being used by a footballer who needs them but cannot afford a new pair.

The project has earned accolades from all corners, and was recently featured in a segment on FIFA TV. Apart from working on his coaching license at a 2nd tier club in Japan, Sueoka dedicates a lot of time to his project and hopes others will build on his idea because it has a large scope and can be a game-changer in spreading football in the developing countries.