Akhil Rawat
AIFF Media Team

HYDERABAD: Son of the soil from God's own country. Many believed Vibin Mohanan's Indian national team call-up had been a long time coming. It came in May this year, but he couldn't join due to personal reasons. His midfield charm proved irresistible to new head coach Manolo Márquez as well, and he was named in the list of 25 for the upcoming friendly against Malaysia on November 18.

The 21-year-old had his first training experience with the Indian senior team on Tuesday. Still feeling the rush of adrenaline after the session, Vibin told the-aiff.com, "I feel so happy and excited. It's been my childhood dream to be part of the senior national team and that's happened now. Since the day the list was published, I have been excited about training and experiencing this environment. There's excitement, pride and responsibility. Being selected to represent your country at the highest level is a huge honour."

As a matter of fact, wearing Indian colours is nothing new for Vibin. He has represented the country from the U16s to U23s, but the senior team is the pinnacle, a different ball game altogether. Vibin has already felt the difference.

"There is a difference, of course. Playing high level football with senior players. The training sessions are going good so far. For me, as a young player, there are so many things to learn from each of the senior players and the coaches," said Vibin, who is the youngest of the 25 in the camp.

Vibin was part of India's SAFF U20 Championship-winning squad in 2022 in Bhubaneswar and the AFC U20 Asian Cup Qualifiers in Kuwait. Last year, he graduated to the U23 category, competing against boys two years older than him in the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers in China. He has also played against Malaysia before, an U23 friendly in Kuala Lumpur in March this year. Vibin played for Indian Arrows in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 I-League seasons.

Fluid movements, long passes, great game reading, stability and composure on the ball is what makes a fine young midfield talent like Vibin.

"I always want to play with the ball," he put it as simply as possible. "Everything else depends on the coaches, how they want to play their system, and I feel I'm improving day by day with the help of good coaches and players."

A youth product of Kerala Blasters, Vibin graduated to the senior team in the 2022-23 season under coach Ivan Vukomanović. In July 2023, he underwent a month-long training camp at Greek top division club OFI Crete, which proved to be an enriching European experience. He has made 40 official appearances for the Blasters, and at the age of 21, that's a pretty good figure.  This season, under Mikael Stahre, he has started in all but one ISL game, and played the full 90 minutes in each of the last six games.

It all started at the age of 12 for Vibin. Born in Thrissur, he began playing football at the Kerala Police Academy in his hometown. Later, he joined the MSP Higher Secondary School in Malappuram, a residential school where he balanced his studies and football together. Two years after that, Kerala Blasters came calling and thus began his journey into professional football. The 15-year-old Vibin wouldn't have imagined at that time that he would later go on to sign a senior contract with Kerala Blasters until 2029 and fulfill his dream of being part of the national team.

The love and affection from the Kerala fans reserves a special place in his heart. "I’m very proud of that because Kerala fans are different compared to others. I'm very grateful for the support I receive. For me, being part of the national team is the most amazing achievement. We will see what happens in the future. For now, I’m so happy to achieve my dream and I’m looking forward to doing my best in Indian football," said Vibin.