| MUMBAI - Felix Aboagye's New Home |
| By Our Reporter | |
| Saturday, 24 May 2008 | |
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If experience is a yardstick of class then Felix Aboagye is up there. After having scored hordes of goals in every country he has stepped into, the man from Ghana has some statistics to settle with Mumbai. Turning out for Mumbai FC, Kunaal Majgaonkar catches the ‘football’s Crusoe’ off the field. The calm that radiates from Felix Aboagye’s face makes you want the United Nations to nominate him as their world envoy for peace. But the Ghanaian, who has traveled the planet over a la Robinson Crusoe, would rather honour his commitment with his first love-football. Travelling, incidentally, happens to be his mistress. Charting his career in words makes you sound like a travel agent trying to sell a ‘world over’ tour, and even Aboagye requests to google the countries he has played football in. "I was picked by Egyptian club, Ahly, when I was 18. After spending five years there I realised one of my biggest dreams in my career when I headed to Greece to play for top-flight side, Olympiakos. The chance of playing in Europe will always be cherished," he says. Playing the Champions League with them is an icing on the cake, he adds. After a season at Greece, Dubai was the next ticket only to be followed by Quatar and Kuwait. As if this was not enough, the man with a mole on his sole joined Mahindra United in Mumbai, but injuries forced him to bid adieu to the city after a season. "I could not give my best to the club and decided to leave. I went to pay in Vietnam for two seasons, after which I headed to the Maldives," he says. But destiny had already booked his tickets back to Mumbai, and he is not with the just constructed Mumbai FC. "I loved this country the day in stepped into Mumbai. I was destined to come back here," says the soft-spoken Aboagye. Travelling to a country is one half of the story, acclimatising is the tougher bit of it. "I settle down in the country the moment I step down the plane. I love studying different aspects of a country, and most of all, its culture, I have the habit of taking something from every country I go to. Football does not need and language. It is a language in itself," the footballer gets eloquent. He can speak fluent English, French and Arabic. Ask him about anecdotes that he takes back home and he says he could write a thesis. "In Egypt, fans are fanatics. When I played for Ahly, the fans treated my like God. They added an ‘ahmed’ before my name as a sign of respect and honour. But when I returned from Greece I went on to play with Ahly’s bitter rivals Zamalek, something that the whole of Egypt considers a sin. The fans were baying for my bloods; I had to deal with death threats every time I stepped on the streets. Those are scary memories. But it comes along with being a footballer," he recalls. He gives you a smile that can stretch from one goal post to another when you ask him about Mumbai. "I am not new here. Back home in Ghana, Bollywood is rage. We used to sneak out of our homes to watch the movies. Even the song sequences are simply amazing. I am told that Mumbai is the hub of all those song and dance. So I am happy to be here. In Ghana, the lights go out by 11, but in Mumbai, people wake up by that time, "he says. "Having said that, I must added that I like the quiet that Kandivli offers." Talking about the team, Aboagye is happy that he is part of Mumbai FC, a side that is digging its heals in the circuit. "It is nice to be on a side that is starting from scratch. I am here with a mission for the club and want to take it to greater heights," he says. Offering an interesting insight, he says, "You may be a god player, but you cannot be successful if you do not learn the culture of the country you are playing in. You have to zero your culture and raise yourself with the team." |
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