Herald: What you have to say about your achievement? (2016 AIFF Emerging Player of the Year Award).
Rowlin Borges: This is the biggest achievement of my life. It was totally unexpected. It was the happiest moment to receive such an award. Taking this as an inspiration, I want to work hard to achieve more success in future.
H: What made you take up football?
RB: Football is running in my blood. I have been playing the game from my childhood. The love for the game has made me a professional. It was Sporting Clube de Goa, who gave me the opportunity to make a start and from then onwards there was no looking back.
H: What would be your ultimate achievement?
RB: My ultimate achievement is to be the best player in the country. I have already crossed the first step by winning the 2016 AIFF Emerging Player of the Year Award. I have full faith that my hard work and dedication will definitely help me to achieve my goal.
H: What is your training schedule?
RB: I practise every day for around three to four hours with my team. Besides, I also practise alone. I even go to the gym to keep myself fit and healthy.
H: Who is the most influential person in your life and why?
RB: My father has been my backbone. He supports me and motivates me to bring best out of me. Coaches Stephen Constantine and Joaquim Crasto have also played a big role in nourishing my career. Constantine saw the potential in me and gave me an opportunity to play for the national team wherein I proved myself by scoring a goal against Nepal at the SAFF Suzuki Cup 2015, at Greenfield Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram-Kerala. Joaquim helped me learn the game in my childhood days. He showed me the basics of football, which helped me to build up my skills.
H: Who is the sports icon that has inspired you the most?
RB: Zinedine Zidane has been inspiration for me. He is one of the greatest players in the history of the game. His incredible skill on the ball yet looking at the whole field at the same time, is what I like the most. He has the perfect control, touch and balance over the ball, which I would like to achieve and for this I have been spending a lot of time with the ball, trying to master it, from juggling to dribbling to passing during my practise sessions.
H: What is your biggest challenge and how do you manage it?
RB: To score over my rivals is the biggest challenge that I face. I have been working hard by improving my skills and techniques and making myself perfect by becoming an all-rounder on the field.
H: Where do you draw your inspiration from?
RB: I get my inspiration by watching football matches. I almost watch all the matches of Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar. I learn from their techniques such as passing, dribbling, run and perfection in scoring the goals by taming their rivals.
H: What do you have to say about your first goal for the national team? (Against Nepal in the SAFF Suzuki Cup 2015 at Greenfield Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram-Kerala)
RB: It was a great game against Nepal. We won the game 4-1 and topped the group to move into the semi-finals. I was rewarded a place in the first XI, because of my performance against Sri Lanka, from which I took the full opportunity and showed my ability by scoring the first goal for my country. I am proud of it and will try my best to score many more in future matches, if I get an opportunity to play for the country.
H: What are your goals?
RB: My goal is more for the team as I would like to improve my game and help the team achieve more glory. I want to win more laurels for myself and team and claim the India’s best player award for which I will put my 100 per cent and grab every opportunity which the coach provides me with.
H: Why do you keep switching clubs? Any particular reason.
RB: I have not changed clubs frequently. I have been with Sporting Clube de Goa for the last 6-7 seasons. As the club withdrew from the I-League and I had an offer from NorthEast United, I had no other option but to join the club as I wanted to play in the national league for exposure.
H: One football moment you can never forget.
RB: I have a lot of great moments which I will never forget in my life. Winning SAFF Cup with the Indian national team in 2015-16, is one out of the many that I will never forget.
H: As a Goan, what do you feel the State needs to do to improve the sport?
RB: There is a need for football grounds in the State which should be maintained well. In Nuvem, my village there is no ground. And the grounds that are around are not maintained properly. Besides, Goa also need, some good coaches, who can the train the young budding stars with proper techniques and skills to take up football as a profession.
