Heading off to a brilliant sunset

SPOTLIGHT / IM Vijayan provided a clutch of sparkling moments to Indian football before bowing out on a high

For those enchanted by the dazzling moves Inivalappil Mani Vijayan makes on a football field, it's a sight difficult to ignore. Call it an act of faith or a mere matter of superstition - before he puts on his football boots, Vijayan takes them to his lips, planting a kiss along with a silent prayer or two. No one knows whether he's casting any spell on his boots, but one rarely misses the magic that unfolds once he steps onto the turf in those sporting gear.
For one last time, that Vijayan effect was on view late last month, when he took his bow from the international stage at the Afro-Asian Games in Hyderabad, leaving behind a legacy difficult to match in Indian football. Who else can conjure them up like Vijayan did? Those clever flicks to the far post, those stunning chips to the corner of the goal and those wickedly dipping free-kicks that would fool the best of goalkeepers?
In the blink of an eye, Vijayan could transform a game, provide an intriguing twist to the script and power a losing team onto a winning path. He could stay unnoticed till the vital few seconds and then deliver the blow that would shatter the opposition.
Yes, Vijayan could do it all. At times, he could also sleepwalk through a game, struggling to leave his imprint on it, missing chances and losing way. But that was Vijayan, a creature of sheer instinct. A complete natural if ever there was one, Vijayan graced the Indian football scene for more than a decade, bringing a multitude of joyous moments to the fans and trophies aplenty to his teams.
Almost always, there was a special touch hidden on the tip of his boots, a wondrous idea in his head, waiting to find expression in a telling volley or a sizzling header. A grateful nation lapped it all up in Hyderabad when the rangy striker donned the Indian colours for the last time in the final against Uzbekistan.
A dream farewell was denied when an Islam Innomov shot in the dying seconds crashed into Sangram Mukherjee's goal, leaving the Indians clutching silver medals. It was a crushing blow but even in defeat, Vijayan could leave with his head held high, having topped the scorers' list with four goals and guided the Indian team into the final.
"It's sad that he is going. But what a way to go!" said National coach Stephen Constantine, who had stood firmly behind Vijayan when critics questioned his selection to the Indian team, pointing fingers at his advancing age and his falling strike rate.
The 34-year-old silenced the doubters in style in Hyderabad. It was vintage Vijayan that one saw at the rain-soaked Lal Bahadur Stadium turf, breaching the defences with clever flicks, well-judged headers, delicate placements and volleys. ‘A fox in the box' as described by Constantine, Vijayan was confined not just to his territory. He was back, supporting the defence when the situation warranted it, and also setting up passes for his younger mates to have a crack.
"It's the last leap of a dying flame," Vijayan had downplayed his bright form on the eve of the final with a touch of humility that revealed a lot about the man, his rise to the pinnacle of Indian football from a childhood racked by poverty back home in Thrissur in Kerala.
Looking at his background, Vijayan could well have been running a teashop or a little roadside eatery for a livelihood. Instead, he is where he is now, a star in his own right, with one foot in the world of movies and an eye on coaching young hopefuls of the future. "It's all because of football," Vijayan says about his status now, a world away from those days when he used to sell groundnuts in the stands during the 1982 Santosh Trophy in Thrissur to earn a few rupees and support his mother Kochammu, having lost his father early in life.
It was work combined with pleasure -- of watching his favourite game unfold on the turf. He would grow to dominate it one day, but the immense talent of Vijayan could well have been lost to the soccer world but for the eagle eye of a physical education teacher, Prof M C Radhakrishnan, who paved the way for the youngster's early training under noted coach T K Chathunny.
Vijayan's journey from then on is well chronicled in the annals of Indian football. His name spelt success wherever he went, from Kerala Police to Mohun Bagan, JCT, FC Kochin, East Bengal and of course, the Indian team, which he went on to captain. Perhaps less publicised is the hard work that went into those triumphs.
"I wish there were ten like him," says Constantine. "But to reach where he has reached, one needs to shed a lot of blood, sweat and tears," adds the Englishman, the last of the many coaches under whom Vijayan played for the national team.
Among them were men like Jiri Pesek, who polished Vijayan's skill on free-kicks, making him a feared opponent in set-piece situations. Then there was Rustom Akramov, who turned his back on Vijayan initially before realising the striker's worth. Vijayan rarely disappointed his coaches and fans, but thanks to the status of Indian soccer, his talents were largely on view in the South Asian arena.
Vijayan stood tall in the region, starring in India's victories in the regional championships. But his individual brilliance did not bring success for India all the time, underscoring the value of team effort in soccer. A case in point was the Kathmandu SAF Games in 1999 when India failed to reach the final despite Vijayan's tournament high of seven goals.
More often than not though, Vijayan was a man for the big occasion. He revelled on the big stage, like in 1996 when he produced a stunning chip to stud JCT's title-triumph in the inaugural National league, or in the Scissors Cup final the same year when he delivered a spectacular bicycle kick to flatten Malaysia's Perlis Club.
The Afro-Asian Games then, was typical Vijayan even though a golden finale eluded him. For a man who has accepted the good with the bad in life, Vijayan will take that in his stride and move on, to further assignments with JCT, into the coaching field or perhaps, onto the silver screen. Unpredictability was his forte on a football pitch and one can expect him to spring a surprise or two in the future as well.