Rizella Cia Almeida, student of St Francis Xavier High School, Macasana, has achieved great heights in football at a very young age. She has won the best Goa Football Development Council Trainee Award and the Best Player Awarded in the Under-12 category. ANANT BAKHALE finds about her plans and aspirations in the near future. Here are the excerpts:
HERALD: Tell us what motivated you to start playing soccer and how it began. Did anyone influence you?
Rizella Cia Almeida: I used to watch my dad playing football in the village tournaments whenever he came down home, as he is working on the ship abroad, and that’s how I developed interest in the game watching him. Now football is my passion.
HERALD: How long have you been active in this sport and what is your position in the team?
RA: I started playing from the age of seven. My position in the team is ‘forward’.
HERALD: Have you won any championships before? When and where did you win them?
RA: Yes, I was in the team that won the U-12 GFDC championship in the year 2013-14.
HERALD: Do you think women can play soccer as good as men?
RA: Yes, off course e.g. Marta Vieira Da Silva (forward, Brazil) is FIFA Female World Player for five consecutive times. She also has won Golden Ball and Golden Boot awards due to her achievements.
HERALD: What is your training schedule like?
RA: I train for three days a week with GFDC coaches and then I condition myself at home playing with friends and guiding them too.
HERALD: Other than soccer, what other sports do you play?
RA: Besides soccer, I play badminton and tennikoit.
HERALD: How do you juggle between your studies and training?
RA: Whenever I’m free, I sit with my books and mostly I study during the night-time and as I’m good in studies. I find it very easy to manage with soccer and studies.
HERALD: On what basis were you selected for the State team?
RA: Based on my techniques such as dribbling, sprint and scoring goals.
HERALD: Tell us about you experience when you played for the State?
RA: It was very nice, meeting players from the different States, learning new techniques from them, their language and traditions, learning how to cooperate with the officials and discipline on the field.
HERALD: How did you feel after you were Awarded Best Player in the Under-12 category?
RA: Since it was my biggest award, I felt like I was in the seventh heaven and I thanked God and my parents for that.
HERALD: What were your responsibilities when you were the captain of U-14 school team and how did you manage to handle the players?
RA: My mantra was ‘all should play well and win the match’, for that I gave them guidance and conducted training sessions and I also thought them to cooperate with each other to achieve their goal.
HERALD: Where do you see your future in this sport and what are your plans?
RA: My plan is to play for the National team in the future as “Forward”, side by side I want to complete my studies. Start coaching classes for aspiring players.
HERALD: Anything else you would like to say?
RA: All the aspiring players should take football seriously to have one strong national team to compete with other countries at the International level. I thank Almighty God for giving me the strength, courage and for guiding and protecting me. I would like to thank all my coaches who inspired me to develop my skills and techniques. I thank my Physical Education Sir James Vaz for supporting me and I also thank my parents for encouraging me to take up the sport, although I am the only child in the family.
