"Felt like a dream," Shubho Paul on Bayern Munich World Squad induction

The youngster provided an insight to his emotions and what he expects from the project.

The German Bundesliga outfit FC Bayern Munich recently announced their international programme, “FC Bayern World Squad”. The programme was an international talent hunt which scouted players from over 64 countries. Shubho Paul, the young Indian forward is one of the 15 players that are picked for the FC Bayern World Squad.

The Sudeva Delhi FC player will now undergo a training camp with the German giants and represent the U19 FC Bayern World squad. The team will play several top-level U19 teams such as Mexico U19 and Bayern U19. However, Paul will not be travelling to Mexico with the squad due to COVID-19 related restrictions.

"When Shubho joined Sudeva Academy at 11 years old in 2016, he instantly stood out from all the other players," said Sudeva Delhi FC co-owner Vijay Hakari. "His single minded focus to be on top of the world helped him reach this stage," he added.

Shubho Paul has been a revelation. He has worked his way up several age groups and recently impressed playing for the India U16 side. He has scored 87 goals in 41 games since becoming a registered player with the AIFF. Here are a few excerpts from the young player himself where he talks about his outlook on the whole experience.

Acknowledging the importance of the stage

Shubho Paul talked about if he ever thought one day, he would be a part of a press conference alongside former FCB captain and FIFA World Cup winner Klaus Augenthaler and international FCB youth coach Christopher Loch. A press conference where they would be displaying a club jersey with his name on the back.

“I never thought such a day would come. I came to Sudeva to play the I-League but never thought the experience at Sudeva would bring me to this stage. Especially after seeing the Bayern jersey with my name on the back, I am feeling more happy,” he said with a gleaming smile on his face.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLgxs6k2yN0

The moment he became aware of the programme

Shubho Paul further talked about the moment where he first got to know about such a programme. He said, “I did not know about this even when I was playing the I-League. I went back to my home for a week and the coach called me back to Sudeva for training. I was not told about any involvement from Bayern Munich so as to not affect my mentality. The coach called up a meeting one day with all the players and that is when I got to know about my selection in the Bayern Munich World Squad.”

The first reaction

The 17-year-old striker further shared his initial thoughts upon knowing the successful selection into the FCB World Squad. “I never thought I’d get selected in Bayern Munich. It felt like a dream. This felt like I was actually watching a dream because I would be playing against big clubs for Bayern Munich. I was very happy upon hearing of my selection.” Shubho Paul opined.

Conversations and learnings from coaches at Bayern

Shubho Paul further talked about his initial contact with the coaches at FCB and what he aims to learn from them. He says, “They have given me a few pieces of advice, want me to work on my strength, practice more and look after myself. They have asked me to learn German and I am sure I will learn a lot from the coaches once I go there for training.”"I feel Shubho and I share a similar journey," said Klaus Augenthaler. "I also came from a small town in Munich, he is coming from India to Munich", he added. "Shubho is a pleasant boy and an extremely talented footballer and we are looking forward to him training with us," the World Cup winner opined.Sudeva Delhi FC co-owner Anuj Gupta said that Subho's "unvelivable and unthinkable" achievement can provide youngsters playing football in India inspiration. "I hope that one day he'll be playing is a professional footballer in Europe's top leagues," Gupta concluded.For more updates, follow Khel Now on Twitter, Instagram and join our community on Telegram.