Yan Dhanda may be the latest footballer of Indian-origin to sign up for a English Premier League side – but he’s not the first.
Michael Chopra and Neil Taylor have been there and done that before.
Chopra featured in the inaugural version of the Indian Soccer League in 2014 turning out for Kerala Blasters.
The former Newcastle United and Sunderland player has even expressed a desire to play for India. That will however be possible only if the former Magpie renounces his British passport as current Indian rules prevent persons of Indian origin (PIOs) from representing the country unless they have an Indian passport.
The government has not yet delivered on its promise of allowing dual citizenship for Indians everywhere.
This would not be a first.
Arata Izumi gave up his Japanese citizenship in January, 2013 and became the first foreign-born player to play for the Blue Tigers, by adopting Indian citizenship. The Pune FC midfielder has represented India several times since.
In June last year, Chopra spoke of his wish to become eligible to play for India.
He said: “I was going to play for them four years ago. But at that time I was only 26 and I was too young to give up my British passport and travel around the world at that age.”
“I just had a little boy that was born and things like that, so it would have been difficult. My boy is six now and he has grown up and understands what his dad has got to do. So I plan to move to India and give up my British citizenship and get an Indian passport to play for the national team and take them forward.”
‘Rocky’ Chopra currently plays for Alloa Athletic, a Scottish championship club.
Chopra’s father is Indian and that makes him eligible to play for India as long as he surrenders his British passport in exchange for an Indian one.
Rocky is considered unlucky to be part of a Newcastle United line-up that included the likes of Alan Shearer, Michael Owen and Patrick Kluivert.
Chopra harboured ambitions of managing and coaching his current side, Alloa Athletic, after the departure of Danny Lennon.
When Michael joined Alloa, he said “I remember when I was at Newcastle and I was a young boy, I was playing with Alan Shearer, Michael Owen and Patrick Kluivert and they gave me the best experience possible.”
“They made me the player I am today and I’ll be looking to try and help all the young boys at the club and passing my experience on.
“Otherwise, I will be up here training and playing, and I’m hoping to be able to train with St Mirren on a Friday if that can be finalised.
“I’m also going to be coaching the kids on a Wednesday night. I want to put something back in and community coaching will be good.”
Neil Taylor is another Indian-origin player participating in the Premier League.
He is Welsh and turns out for Swansea and the national side.
Taylor has been capped more than 25 times for Wales and represented Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics.
Taylor’s mother hails from Kolkata.
Speaking to Goal.com in 2012, Neil said:
“My mother comes from Calcutta and I have close family both there and in Delhi. I have visited my aunts, uncles and cousin several times when growing up and love the country.”
“Since I turned professional as a footballer at 16 I haven’t been able to visit India but it is a place I will return whenever I get the chance.
“I think India would be a great place to stage the football World Cup. Football is a growing sport there, the Indian public is so passionate about sport (that I think) it would be an absolute winner.
“It would bring football in India along in leaps and bounds; a bit like the 1994 World Cup has done for the USA.”
Football in India is becoming much more developed and the vivid colours and culture of the country would make for a really distinctive event.
It is a country with the infrastructure to support a World Cup as it has proven with cricket.
Football in India is growing and improving and I think that is proved by the Venky family buying Blackburn Rovers.
The Premier League in England is the toughest and best league in the world, I think that is why it is attracting owners from around the globe.
So many of the clubs are now owned by people from other countries it really is a global brand.”
Speaking to the Independent a year later, the mixed-parentage soccer player speaking about the lack of Indian soccer players said the following.
“I want to know whether it is that they are not encouraged by their parents. Do they prefer a different sport? From what I remember from India, and what a lot of people say about the Indian people, it could be that a lot of the young people are encouraged to be doctors, surgeons and get pushed down the education route. I just wanted to know, is there more talent out there?”
In June last year, Taylor renewed his contract with Swansea City with a new four-year deal.
Yan Dhanda is the latest to join the bandwagon of Indian players in the Premier League.
The 17-year-old signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Liverpool. It has been his dream to become of part of the Reds since he was 14.
Dhanda’s set-piece free kick against Manchester City in an Under-18 game has drawn over 72K views on YouTube.
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