PROMISING ATTACKING MIDFIELDER Bidyananda Singh made his ISL debut last night for Atletico de Kolkata, and immediately had enough impact on the game to get all the fans and critics talking.
Bidyananda came on in the second half replacing left winger Abhinas Ruidas. Within minutes, he was making the Mumbai City defenders take note of his presence with his sharp passes and a skilled first touch. His fast runs up the flank remained a threat to MCFC till the end, and at least twice he provided inch-perfect crosses to Iain Hume that begged a proper close-range finish. After missing one towards the end of the game, the Canadian striker was seen apologising to Bidyananda. ATK lost the match 0-1.
Bidyananda's is a familiar name for those who follow Indian football closely. At the age of 11, he moved to Imphal to train at SAI. Soon he made it into the AIFF U-13 squad, and before long he was playing for the AIFF U-19 team (that consisted mostly of 16 year old kids, an attempt to provide exposure to the best talent in India).
The big break in his career came when he was selected for the Nike All Asia Camp in Qatar where youth coaches from internationally reputed clubs like Manchester United, Barcelona and Inter Milan were training attendees. Impressing them as an attacking midfielder, he was eventually voted as the best player in the camp out of a pool of 200 top youth players from across the continent. Barcelona even showed interest in shining him.
Now 18, Bidyananda has a chance to prove himself at the senior level in ISL; a good spell there will attract a lot of attention from scouts, especially if he is hoping to play abroad (ATK's Spanish connections will hopefully come through). And the way he has started, it wouldn't be surprising if in the next game he gets a start ahead of Abhinas Ruidas.