Kozhikode boy all set to travel to Spain

When Spain takes to the field for the finals of the Euro 2012 on Sunday, thousands of Spain fans will be cheering them in Kozhikode. But K Prashant, however, will be packing his bags for a journey that will see him play in the land of his favourite football team.

Prashant, who plays on the right wing, is the only Malayali in the 14-member team from the FIFA-AIFF Academy based in Navi Mumbai which will participate in an international tournament to be held in Spain in the second week of July.

Apart from the hosts, Latin American giants Argentina are also expected to participate in the event.He got selected to the Academy in May after impressing in the recent National Junior Football Championships in Hosur. “After the championships, they selected 50 probables to the camp, including two Malayalis. But the list was later cut down to 30 and then to 14 and I was the only one from the state remaining,” he says. Prashant recently finished his tenth exams from the Zamorin’s HSS but will now continue his studies at the Father Agnel School in Navi Mumbai where his club is based.

This multi-faceted 15-year-old was a jack of all trades in his younger days before he decided to focus his attention on football, says his elder brother Pramod.

“Prashant excelled in cricket and athletics when he was younger and wentonto participate in state-level athletics meet. He also appeared in a popular dance-based reality show for kids. But as he grew older, it became apparent that he could only focus on one sport and it was then that he devoted his entire time to football,” he says. His raw talents were further polished under the guidance of coach Rishidas, who  trained him as part of the Vision India Project, and he will now receive guidance from the likes of English coach Colm Toal and Australian coach Scott O’Donnel at the AIFF Academy.

And his eyes are set on the upcoming U-17 World Cup, which India stands a chance of hosting and where he wants to give a good account of himself.

But for now, he remains completely focused on Spain and hopes to run into his favourite player whilst there. “I hope I get to see David Villa. It is highly unlikely but who knows? He might walk into see one of our games,” he says.