By Debayan Mukherjee,
AIFF Media Team

KOLKATA: On Sunday morning at a posh city hotel in Kolkata, Indian Football resembled a first-class graduate being recognised by the connoisseurs of sport.

There was a World Cup winning Captain in Brazilian Carlos Alberto Torres, Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, former India Captain Sourav Ganguly, and the most coveted Trophy of all, the World Cup. What all of them had in common, was Indian Football!

If the Little Master, in his first visit to the ‘City of Joy’ since his illustrious retirement, felt the Country has a realistic chance of qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup riding on the “great platform” it has got in hosting the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2017, Sourav opined that the Youth Showpiece “can bring back the kids back to the Football field”.

Toeing the two former Greats of Cricket, Alberto, the winner of the Jules Rimet Trophy which Brazil took home in 1970, wished he would see ‘India in the World Cup someday’ and that the platform will be set in 2017.

“2022 sounds like a realistic target. We are hosting the 2017 World Cup, so it sounds realistic... I would like to believe that,” Tendulkar told reporters during an event of the Indian leg of the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour.

“We need to focus on the process. We cannot look to go directly to the 100th floor. We have got to start from the first floor and gradually climb up the building,” the Bharat Ratna added.

There was a word of caution too from the batting legend as he stressed on the fact that success won’t come overnight and as it’s a gradual process, it will take time. “To participate in a big Tournament like the World Cup is something that does not happen overnight. It's a journey, and for a journey to happen there’s a process. As I mentioned, the platform has to be provided to the young guns.”

He further pronounced: “To achieve it, a lot of hard work and planning needs to be executed. You have got to have proper facilities and teach the young kids. We need to attain the level what Champion Teams are doing at the moment,” he stated.

This is not the first time that Tendulkar was associated with Football as the Mumbai maestro remembered visiting the Final of the Under 16-CocaCola Cup last year and sharing the stage with Indian National Captain Sunil Chhetri.

"I had the privilege of standing beside Sunil Chhetri. The way he looks at Football is completely different from what I understand. To go out and support some other sport is really important. I was there to show my support to the young Footballers, and some of whom I believe will participate in the World Cup in 2022," he opined.

Ganguly felt the U-17 World Cup will bring the kids back to Football. “I am sure the Under-17 World Cup will bring kids back to football. Like we had Sachin and (Rahul) Dravid and now (Virat) Kohl is in Cricket, I hope we see such things in Football,” Ganguly pronounced.

The Trophy, brought to India by sponsors Coca Cola (also sponsors of the All India Football Federation), is now on a 90-country tour, with India being the 52nd stop.

Unveiled by Brazilian 1970 World Cup winning captain Carlos Alberto Torres, the Trophy was brought to India from Nepal and will be taken to Myanmar December 25.

Regarded as one of the best defenders of all time, Carlos said he sincerely hoped to see India play the World Cup some day.

“There is lot of talent in India. It is important to nurture talent,” said the 69-year old Carlos as he too wished to see India in the World Cup.

“There were a billion people and I was the one to hold the Trophy it was a huge privilege,” said Carlos, one of the six Ambassadors of the 2014 FIFA World Cup to be staged in Brasil.

Mr. Kushal Das, AIFF General Secretary admitted that he could not take his eyes off the Trophy while bringing it to India from Kathmandu.: “It’s a great pleasure to see the Trophy here in India. I could not take my eyes off it when I saw it for the first time. I would like to thank Coca Cola for the support. They are our partners too,” Mr. Das said.

“I have been repeating that the U-17 World Cup is a great platform for all the stakeholders to realise a dream. We are standing on the threshold of history,” he added.