From OT to the big league: Edmund scripts a spine-chilling comeback
Edmund Lalrindika is now also the only player from the I-League to make it to Manolo Marquez's national team probables
Panaji:
Edmund Lalrindika
remembers holding his teary-eyed sister's hand and telling her, from a hospital bed, not to worry.
It was hours before he was to be wheeled into the operation theatre on March 7, 2022. A spine injury had put a question mark over the young striker's future, threatening to end a promising career that saw him captain India juniors. Two doctors that Edmund consulted over his injury told him he would never play football again. The third provided some hope. Football wasn't recommended, but he could try his hand at non-contact sports, 'probably badminton or tennis.'
Despite the grim diagnosis from three top doctors, Edmund refused to give up. His life, and that of his near ones, depended on him cutting uncompromising defenders to size. Eighteen months later he was back on the field, and even though it only resulted in Bengaluru FC terminating his contract after a not-too-impressive campaign at the Durand Cup, his move to I-League debutants
Inter Kashi
in the second tier of
Indian football
changed everything.
The Mizo ended as the club's top scorer, made heads turn with stunning goals in the I-League, trained with Atletico Ottawa, a leading team in the Canadian Premier League, and has now returned to the top-tier of Indian football with East Bengal paying Rs 1 crore, a record sum, for his transfer from Inter Kashi.
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The striker is now also the only player from the I-League to make it to Manolo Marquez's national team probables.
'Before the surgery, everyone was too tense,' Edmund told TOI recently. 'They knew what the doctors had said, but I told my sister, 'your brother will play football, and I will be my best version as a footballer. I am a Christian, I am a believer, and I had faith. It is this faith that helped me make a comeback.'
Edmund, 26, said the signs of his injury were there during the 2021-22 season when he played through pain. 'I should have rested, but I kept going, thinking I'd get a chance (in a star-studded Bengaluru squad).'
After a complicated surgery, it wasn't easy.
For four months, Edmund was rooted to his bed, helpless. Then he started taking baby steps. It wasn't until a year later that he could jog a bit, then run. The dream of returning to competitive football still appeared far-fetched.
Edmund didn't give up. Eighteen months later he returned to play for Bengaluru but it wasn't convincing enough. Parting of ways followed.
'I can understand why Bengaluru terminated the contract. I must thank the club. Although I didn't get enough chances because it's a big club, and I was very young, they provided me with the best facilities, the best rehab (for treatment) and the best doctors. If the club had not provided such support, I would have never made it,' said Edmund.
After parting ways with Bengaluru, Edmund was on his own. Nobody wanted to touch him. Understandable for a player who had undergone spine surgery and looked a far cry from the player who was part of every junior India squad from the U-16s in 2013.
When Inter
Kashi
presented him with another opportunity, he quickly grabbed it. The rest, as they say, is history.
'Injuries are part of football. As footballers, when you face such adversities, you need to be tough. My mentality was strong. I always had faith in God and that helped me a lot. When you are down, hit rock bottom, it's important to get up. My understanding about life is now much better than what it was before (surgery). I can deal with anything,' said Edmund.
He's a much better footballer too.
Across four previous seasons in the
Indian Super League
(ISL), his numbers made for poor reading: five appearances in 2018-19 was the best he could manage. For the next three, he played two minutes one year, 14 minutes the next and 106 minutes over three appearances the year he got injured.
With Inter Kashi, he was the first name on the coach's team list, playing every game. Now he's keen to prove himself in the top tier too with East Bengal, and of course the national team, where he is no stranger to the India jersey
'I am not new to East Bengal. I've played there before but got injured. I always wanted to come back; it's one of the biggest clubs in India. Even with the national team, I know I can do better. There are many players who have played alongside me (during junior days). I always believed that I could catch up with them. They've been my teammates before. I believe I can be there (on top) one day,' said Edmund.
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