New Delhi
Goalkeeper Padam Chettri was guarding the citadel of a club, that failed to save themselves from relegation. His then club, Mumbai Kenkre FC, managed only three wins and conceded 40 goals from 22 matches in the 2022-23 I-League season, and lost the rights to play the I-League this season.
Fast forward one year, the 26-year-old is now easily one of the most important members of the I-League champions Mohammedan Sporting, and has even been awarded the Best Goalkeeper of the Season. The boy from Shillong, who only started his senior career in football just four years back, however, learned valuable lessons when his side were down and out. I spent two seasons at Kenkre, and the expectations were completely different in that kind of scenario. We struggled to save our existence in the I-League for two seasons, said Chettri. It helped me grow as a person and as a player too. I had belief in my own abilities when I joined Mohammedan Sporting. I did not think about the past and worked every day to improve myself. From conceding 27 goals in 15 appearances with just one clean sheet, Chettri has gone on to be a part of one of the most stable back-lines in the 2023-24 I-League season, conceding only 18 goals in 22 appearances, with eight clean sheets to his name. I am very happy that my efforts have finally been recognised.
