Adithyan's rise from country club to Barcelona

KOLLAM: This young footballer is a star of country soccers sending waves of enthusiasm in the galleries with his swift pace turning each opportunity into goals.  Young Adithyan who has proven his mettle in country clubs at the age of just 15, has now been selected for training by the prestigious Marcet Football Academy in Barcelona, Spain. Hailing from a destitute family at Vettilathazham in Decent Junction here, he fights all odds to keep the focus on his passion.

“Adithyan has secured his entry to Marcet for professional training lasting for a month. He got the opportunity while attending high-performance training camp in Chennai in January organised by Football Plus Professional Soccer Academy at the JPR College ground, seeing his extraordinary performance,” his coach M.P. Abhilash told DC.  Adithyan will leave for Barcelona by July. His father Arun is a lorry driver. As the family could not support him financially, a group of kind-hearted football enthusiasts including P. Harikrishnan, a social worker in Mukhathala, are to his support.

A ninth standard student, Adithyan is currently undergoing training at Soccer Academy for Youth in Kollam under the Edusport Trust.  In football, he's specialised as a forward player in the right wing. “His speciality I noted was that he'd got the support of his whole family. During the time he took admission at the academy, an entire family was present giving him mental support,” Mr Abhilash said. “He's got a good pace in his game and could build up a good career by utilising such opportunities. He also excels in grasping the tactics of the game and has good future in football.”