There’s something about kids these days. They show up, speak and ask a lot of questions. They are curious, confident and are able to understand things that make them appear mature beyond their age.In short, they just don’t understand the word fear and aren’t afraid to dream big. Jordan Mobin Paul, who fits this description perfectly, has been making waves in the Bengaluru football scene in his age group category.For mere introduction, there are quite a few impressive bullet points that force you to take notice.He was the BFC Player of the Year (U-7), Maradona Cup Player of the Tournament (U-8), DPDL Player of the Year (U-10), BFC KSFA Inter School Player of the Tournament (DPS North), BFC Player of the Year (U-11), and BFC Day Boarding Player of the Year (U-13).At 12, he was also a part of the Sub-junior side that was the national champion. But the dream doesn’t stop at just Bengaluru and Karnataka.“In the future, I want to become the Indian captain and make sure India qualifies for the World Cup,” Jordan said.When you just begin to think that he is one of those young players with just promise, he makes you think again with his work ethic and ability to get back up after a fall.“A day prior to the KSFA tournament, he fractured his hand. It was very challenging. He took a break of almost 45 days. However, his coach (Govardhan) was very supportive, and Jordan trained to not lose stamina. He was back in two to three weeks and then played all the matches in regionals,” Priya shared.However, on a personal note, he is just a kid who started playing the sport trying not to be made fun of.“I started football because everybody would make fun of me because I didn’t play football,” Jordan told DH.A good seven years after waking up early and attending practice at 5:45 am as a six-year-old, he was awarded the BFC Day Boarding Player of the Year by Sunil Chhetri himself.Quite the story, isn’t it? But how did it start taking shape?Mobin Paul left Kerala and came to Bengaluru for work. That resulted in Jordan attending BFC Soccer Schools a while after.In under two years of starting his journey as a five-and-a-half-year-old, Jordan was picked for the BFC Academy at the age of seven and has been tearing apart defences ever since.Jordan has the tools, and while the dream travels closer to reality slowly but surely, it is up to the people surrounding him to ensure he remains the boy he is.
