Albino Gomes from Goa was one player who was keenly watched in ISL 4 before an injury in the fourth match kept him out for the rest of the season. In conversation with The Navhind Times he explains life on the recovery road.
The career of players can be of uncertainty. One day at the top, the other nursing an injury. Delhi Dynamo goalkeeper Albino Gomes from Nuvem is one such player. After having guided Aizawl FC to its first I-league title Albino signed for Delhi and after an injury suffered during the team’s fourth game he is in recover mode.
“I did not realise the extent of injury at first. It was only later that I realised that I would need to undergo surgery and would be out for the rest of the season. It was something difficult to digest in the beginning but I later realised that it was the best way forward,” Albino told The Navhind Times over the phone from new Delhi where his rehabilitation is on with Delhi Dynamos.
Albino conceded nine goals in his four games. “Conceding goals is definitely not what a goalkeeper wants to talk about. However, I look at it as an opportunity to learn. After my injury, the team brought in Spanish goalkeeper XabierIruetaguena and with him I learnt a lot. Xabier is a goalkeeper with a lot of experience and during my recovery days, I watched him a lot during practise and during the games and managed to discuss a lot,” says Albino of his 41 year old goalkeeping colleague .
“Being out of the field was something I missed. I was raring to go after my stint with Aizawl. I think the almighty had other plans for me. I started my rehab after my surgery in Mumbai and should complete my rehabilitation in another two months. I will be out for the Super cup but will be fit , for the next season,” avers Albino.
“The role of a goalkeeper is not just to stop the ball from entering the goal but to organise the defense and help in the formation of attacks. Goalkeeping keeps evolving and the style of goalkeeping of the past is pretty out of date today, “says Albino when asked to look back into his days in the I-league.
“I returned to Goa for a week soon after my surgery as I needed assistance. I could not be on my own. I moved to Delhi thereafter and have been along with my colleagues. Of course I would have loved to be in Goa. But I am a professional and that means getting back into shape is my priority. I am working hard to get fit again and get back to the field,” says Albino.
“Whenever I watched my colleagues play, I always wished I could have been with them on the field. I think getting over such a feeling is the most difficult part of recovery. You want to be on the field and not watch from the stands,” says Albino.
Albino ended last season with a lot of promise with Aizawl. He was one of the first players to be picked during the last Indian Super League (ISL) Draft. Although he started tentatively with Delhi Dynamos in ISL4 his beginning under the horizontal at an international level is in the initial stages. “I believe I will make it to the top some day. I just need to get back into shape and continue with my hard work,” says Albino who is along with Luis Barreto –who plays for East Bengal– amongst the top goalkeepers from Goa.