Justin Stephen: The Wall of Chirag United

Justin Stephen, hailing from the state of Kerala and currently playing as stopper back for Chirag United, is a name that can very soon become a valuable asset for Indian football. A talented rock solid defender, Justin Stephen can give opposition strikers a run for their money on any given day.

Having hailed from the state of Kerala which is known for producing footballers of the highest skill in the country, the amount of talent that Justin possesses is not surprising. Born in a Christian family in a place called Uzhavoor in the district of Kottayam in Kerala, the football bug bit Justin at the tender age of 14 as he soon became a pivotal member of his school team. It was at Our Lady of Lourde Higher Secondary School in Kottayam that the foundations were laid for a sparkling career.

While the foundations were laid strongly in his school days, his dream started to take shape once he entered college. Justin got into the college team and got an opportunity to represent Calicut University in the South Zone Inter University Football Tournament due to his exceptional performances for the Christian College team in Trichur. It was at this stage that Justin realized that his real talent lay in football and decided to pursue a career in it. It was a brave decision from the young man, for he knew the risks involved as football was not a viable career option at the time in India. The future of Indian football was then in the doldrums as cricket became the addiction of the nation and the perfect sport for sportspersons to make a wealthy career out of. Yet, being a defender who is always called upon to be strong and take up the cudgels despite the odds being against him, Justin’s battling qualities and pure love for the game encouraged him to take up football seriously.

Once he made his decision, Justin began to take the long road to success as he started playing for few small clubs in his district to attract attention to his talent. And attract attention he did as one of the biggest moments in his career arrived when he was playing Unity Soccer in Ernakulam. Viva Kerala, one of the strongest and well known football clubs in Kerala and also the state’s only club in the I-League decided to offer him a one year contract, impressed by his talent. Justin seized the opportunity with both hands and soon began to make hay while the sun shone.

The contract offer by Viva Kerala turned out be a turning point in his career as he got selected to represent his state in the 2008 and 2009 editions of the Santosh Trophy. His dreams with the state team withered away soon as Kerala’s Santosh Trophy campaign ended before the semi-finals in both these years, thus not allowing Justin to make his mark.

Things at Viva Kerala continued to grow as he became a regular member of the side and came to be noticed for his rock solid defending. His talent soon started to grab the eyeballs of some of the big Indian clubs as Mahindra United came forward with an offer soon. At Mahindra United, he enjoyed playing alongside his mates from his state N.Pradeep, Ajayan Nair and Mohd. Rafi but his tryst could not last long as the team soon got dissolved and all of its players had to move to other clubs, resulting in a mass exodus.

While any lesser man would have fallen, Justin did not, as his exceptional talent meant that it was not hard for him to find another club. He was soon offered a contract by Chirag United and began to man the defensive wall of the team. Chirag’s defence this season has been one of the strongest in the league and has conceded few goals, which is testament to the rock solid defending from the Keralite at the back. Chirag’s performance has been impressive this season in the Kolkata football League eventhough they have had to fight it out heavily with the two giants of Indian football, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan.

A player who idolises Lionel Messi and considers Indian defender Mahesh Gawli to be his most favourite player from the country, Justin dreams of representing the Indian National Team; a dream whose limitations and difficulty he very much realises. Yet, considering his rise in the Indian football circuit and the talent that he possesses, one can’t help but wonder that the day of reckoning when he gets a national team call-up is not too far away. Justin also dreams of playing in a foreign football league, for he believes that experience in a foreign country will help him improve his game by a huge extent; a dream which is even harder getting a call-up to the national team. It will be one step at a time, but for the people who’ve seen him play know that glory days are ahead for this talented defender.

Let us wish him the very best of luck for his future and hope that he can contribute greatly to the rise of Indian football.

Edited by Zico