If I can make it to the ISL then it would be great, says Stellenbosch FC defender Rijul Pillay

Rijul Pillay also mentioned the style of play in South Africa.

The latest edition of the Next Generation Cup is up and running in London. This year the tournament will be played between three Indian teams, four English sides and one South African club. Muthoot Football Academy, East Bengal and Punjab FC will represent India, while Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton and Crystal Palace will represent England and former champions Stellenbosch FC will represent South Africa in the tournament.

Stellenbosch FC’s defensive stalwart Rijul Pillay is of Indian descent and is the only India-origin player in the South African top division. Ahead of his side’s first game against Spurs, we caught up with the defender himself for an exclusive chat.

Introduction

The defender began by introducing himself and also shared bits about his football journey. “My name is Rijul Pillay, I play for Stellenbosch FC in South Africa. I’m a centre-back and I come from an Indian heritage background, my ancestral path leads back to India and my whole family is Indian. I grew up in Durban. It’s a southern part of South Africa. Then, yes, I started playing at the age of four.

The youngster told us about how he climbed up the ladder to get his first professional contract. “I was scouted to a professional team at 11-years-old and then I moved to the professional team. I was there for eight years from U-13s to the first-team. When I was 15, I got promoted to U-23s and I signed my first contract. I signed for AmaZulu and then Stellenbosch FC wanted me, so they transferred me last season,” Rijul Pillay asserted.

Nickname

Rijul is often called the ‘Gully Boy’ by his teammates and coaching staff. When asked about the story behind his nickname, he said, “Coach Van (Evangelos Vellios) and the team traveled to India last year to play in the Next Gen Cup. But, by that time I wasn’t with Stellenbosch FC. So, it was kind of a coincidence that as soon as they came back from the tour, they had already arranged with my agent to sign me.

“Then when I came here, he was telling me there’s a movie in India called ‘Gully Boy.’ So, then he just said I look like him and then everyone started calling me ‘Gully Boy’ in training and then the nickname just stuck,” Rijul Pillay added.

Inspiration

Speaking about his inspiration for picking up the beautiful game as a career, Rijul Pillay said he always looked up to his father and it was also his passion.

“I think it was more my father because my father and my uncle were close to becoming professional footballers and nearly in the national team, but because of the opportunities and politics it didn’t work out. I’d say my father’s influenced me a lot. But, I enjoy the game of football and it was my passion from young, so I never knew anything else,” Rijul Pillay quipped.

Indians in South African football

The defender also opened up about the condition of Indian footballers in South Africa and said that they have a lot of talent, but lack a strong mindset.

“A lot of the Indian players in South Africa don’t have a strong mindset. They are talented, maybe even more than some of these guys, but they don’t have the mindset and the discipline and I think that’s what carried me and helped me throughout my career. Yes, it helped me separate myself from other Indians and just compete with talented and hardworking players like them,” Rijul Pillay revealed.

Inspiration for upcoming generation

The centre-back is the only Indian to play in the South African league and is undoubtedly an inspiration to many budding footballers. Speaking about the same, Rijul Pillay said, “I’ve already spoken to some and I get a lot of attention for it, obviously because I’m one of the only Indians in the league. So, a lot of players do look up to me and they ask me what’s the secret? and I tell them, ‘everyone is talented and can work hard, but you need to do more because genetically we don’t have the best genetics compared to everyone else.’ 

He further went on to highlight the importance of hard work and discipline in football. “So, we have to work 10 times harder in the gym, be mentally fit because we’re different to everyone else and it’s not our line of sport. We have to work harder, we have to be more disciplined, we have to do everything more than everyone else,” Rijul Pillay said.

Family Support

The 21-year-old was quizzed about how his family supported him in his football journey. He opened up and said that his parents, especially his mother, have pushed him a lot to get better.

“My family, especially my mother, pushes me more than my dad. They let me do my thing, they raised me well and they knew that I was working more than other people. So, they never really pushed me like other parents would push their kids. I think they watch me from a distance, but when I fall they’re always there to support me. They’re always looking for opportunities for me. They’re involved in my contracts, in my career. So, they heavily influence my career,” he added.

Pursuing professional football

The former AmaZulu player also shared his feelings on pursuing professional football and said that he wants to be good at both football and academics.

“My parents could see that I was going somewhere with football. So, that’s why they didn’t push me too much in school. But, at the same time, I wanted to be good at everything. I always had that inside of me. I am studying. I’m nearly done. I’ve four more months until I have a bachelor’s degree in business. But, I’m still playing football full-time,” Rijul Pillay mentioned.

Idol

When asked about his idol, Rijul Pillay said that he idolized Sergio Ramos growing up. “I look up to some of the younger defenders in the Premier League.

“I won’t name them because there’s quite a few of them, but internationally I watched Ramos growing up, I thought he was an overall centre-back, so I idolized him.”

Playing in India

The Indian-origin defender was also asked what he would do if an offer arrived from India. He said that he would happily go to India and play in the Indian Super League (ISL).

“It’s funny because ever since we were planning to come on the trip, Coach Van (Evangelos Vellios) has been just talking to me. He makes a joke with me saying ‘if they want you we’re going to sell you and I said yes, it’s fine.’

“Even now in the tunnel, he said we want them to sign you and I said I’ll go any day just to get out of the country, just different exposure, new challenge. I said, if I can make it to the ISL then it would be great.”

Rijul Pillay was further asked about possibly representing India. He opened with excitement and said, “I would, actually, I would. I think it would be a nice story that I’ll have to tell one day, coming from South Africa. I think it’s a nice continent to play football on as well. 

Expectations from Next Generation Cup

Speaking about his expectations for the tournament, he said that the team are confident because they have won it before.

“From this tournament, Stellenbosch has been involved in this tournament for three years in a row, which has never been done by any other South African team. We’ve won our local league twice now and we’ve won the Next Gen once. So, we are pretty confident coming into this tournament, we know we can get results.”

Message to young Indian kids

He signed off with a message for young Indian footballers and said, “I’d say stay disciplined, stay hardworking and do more than everybody else.

“If someone’s doing more than you, you need to be doing way more than them because you are at a disadvantage physically, mentally and culturally as well. Football in South Africa, not a lot of kids grow up playing, especially if they’re Indian. I think they only start later on. So, if you can start earlier and get into a professional environment earlier, then that will help you a lot,” he concluded.

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