Jamal raring to prove his worth

Bangladesh national football team's captain Jamal Bhuiyan is raring to get on the pitch and help Kolkata Mohammedan do well in the upcoming Hero I-League.

The 30-yearr-old midfielder reached Kolkata on December 24 and has since been in quarantine at a hotel, spending time regaining fitness following a bout of coronavirus earlier last month.

With his quarantine period set to end tomorrow, the Bangladesh skipper said he is eager to get on the pitch and meet his teammates ahead of their I-League campaign.

"My New Year's resolution will be to win the first match of the Hero I-League and meet my teammates because I've been in quarantine for a long time now," Jamal said during an online interview with All India Football Federation yesterday.

The latest edition of the I-League, the second-tier football league in India, starts on January 9 when Mohammedan Sporting Club take on Sudeva Moonlight in Kolkata.

The half-hour interview was an opportunity to re-introduce Jamal to the Indian fans following his stellar performance for the Bangladesh team against India in last year's World Cup qualifying fixture, which ended in a 1-1 draw. 

When asked what made him accept the proposal from Mohammedan, Jamal said that he wanted a new challenge, "When I got the opportunity to play for Mohammedan, I talked to my family and said that 'you know what, let me just take this challenge and see what I can do'. "

The 30-year-old, who has been dubbed as 'one of the best defensive midfielders in the Asian continent' by Mohammedan's general secretary, said he would do his best to repay the faith of the club.

"It's my job to prove that I'm a champion, I have to prove that Mohammedan didn't make a mistake by bringing me here. As a footballer, you face different kind of pressure and I think this kind of pressure is healthy for me. If there is no pressure than there is no fun in it for me. I'm gonna take this challenge and try to do my best every day," Jamal said.