Young forward Muhammad Suhail’s journey from the Railway grounds of Palakkad to the biggest stage of Indian football

Muhammad Suhail .F was not a name many were aware of other than those inside Punjab FC. All that changed in the 2023-24 season, when the Shers were crowned the Reliance Foundation Development League (RFDL) champions beating East Bengal 3-2 in the national championship finals. Suhail received the Golden Ball award for the best player of the tournament as a 17 year old and it speeded up his transition into the senior side. That incidentally happened in the 133^rd edition of the IndianOil Durand Cup, which is why he holds it so special, before he went on to become one of the most attacking Shers for the rest of the season.

“The Durand Cup is where I played senior level football for the first time and it was a totally different experience for me. I understood where I was as a player and what I needed to do to consistently to play at this level”, said a very shy Suhail who until then had played only in the junior level and leagues for Punjab FC.

He joined Punjab FC as a 13 year old, taking the less explored route by footballers from Kerala. Instead of honing his skills in the state, he joined a club which is 2761 kilometres away from his home on the advice of his elder brother, Muhammad Sulaiman.

Suhail who hails from Olavakkode, a railway town in the district of Palakkad in Kerala, was picked up in the trials conducted by Punjab FC in Coimbatore. The boy, who had no experience of even playing for his district was suddenly away from the comfort of his home.

“It was very tough for me at the beginning with a new culture, a professional setup. Everything was new for me. Motham neram karachil tanne ayirunnu (I was crying the whole time). I did not have any friends and I was the only player from Kerala at that time. It was very hard to adapt to everything around me”, said Suhail about his earlier days at the Punjab FC academy.

His parents like any other parents, told him to come back if he is not feeling good, but his brother kept motivating him “Ikka (elder brother) told me to stay and fight. If you need to play and play football in a high level, you will have to stay and fight there”, says Suhail. He also had the support of his friends back home and others in his boyhood club Marhaba FC where he used to play before joining Punjab FC. All this motivation helped him to stay and he felt in hindsight, it was definitely the correct decision.

Suhail’s rise from the academy to the senior side was rapid. Interestingly, he started as a centre back at the academy and he was converted to a forward in the Under 17 level. That is when he realised his game is more suited for playing up front. “That was the time when I realised my true game, which opened up my chances in the senior team”, said Suhail who likes to dribble past defenders and cut inside to shoot.

After returning from the Premier League Next Generation Cup in England, he was directly called up for the senior team training. The youngster was named in the squad for the ISL by Head Coach Panagiotis Dilmperis but he did not expect to feature much in the season. “I expected some minutes here and there as a substitute but I did not expect to feature much for the team. It was a surprise but I made full use of the chances I got and played my heart out”, said Suhail who made 13 appearances in the ISL for Punjab, 11 of them in the starting eleven.

According to Suhail, he understood that his game was nowhere close to the standard of the senior side at the beginning. “I was not even close to be considered for the senior side in the beginning. I had to train harder and improve a lot to be considered. I developed physically and mentally and gradually it made me a thinking player. I got clarity of what I had to do to play more and contribute to the team”, Suhail added.

Punjab FC had a turbulent run in the 134^th IndianOil Durand Cup, being knocked out in the group stages from Group D in Kokrajhar after suffering a shock 1-0 defeat to local side Bodoland FC after scraping through Karbi Anglong Morning Star FC 2-1 and being held to a goalless draw to Indo-Tibetan Border Police Football Team. Suhail was one of the bright spots in the team, continuing from where he left from last season with his speedy dribbles and crosses from the wings.

“The competition was very high and the opposition were physical. We expected tough matches but it was a more than what we expected but it all a learning experience for us”, expressed Suhail and while asked about his goal for the seasons to come, the soon to be 19 year old replied with a smile, “Satyam paranjal onnum alochitilla (I haven’t thought about anything to be honest). I just want to keep playing and score and assist. Bakki okke verunnathu pole (Will tackle the rest as it comes)”, he ended.

Even though Suhail’s 134^th IndianOil Durand Cup campaign did not go as planned, Indian football will be hearing a lot from him in the coming years and the lanky boy from Kerala who once used to play in the mud grounds of Railway colony in Palakkad will be content for receiving the recognition for his hard work and the sacrifices of everyone around him.