"I will always have a soft corner for East Bengal, but Bengaluru FC will give me a better chance of making the national team" - Hira Mondal

Hira Mondal has stayed true to his name and shone like a diamond with several eye-catching performances over the past three years.

His rags-to-riches tale is defined by sheer hard work and determination that has seen him purchase a new flat from grappling with extreme poverty in a ramshackle house in West Bengal’s Baidyabati.

A successful foray into the Indian Super League (ISL) last season catapulted Hira to fame, even though his then-team, SC East Bengal, hit an all-time low with a wooden spoon finish.

Representing the Kolkata giants 16 times in his maiden ISL campaign, Hira was one of the emerging stars of the tournament. The young left-back registered 49 tackles, 29 interceptions, 57 clearances, and 35 blocks, and saved his team the blushes on many occasions with his goal-line clearances.

After his one-year contract with SC East Bengal expired at the end of the 2021-22 season, Hira took his time before putting pen to paper for any club. He was in high demand but kept waiting for East Bengal Club, who, at the time, were going through a tumultuous period after parting ways with their erstwhile investor Shree Cement Ltd.

Hira has a soft corner for East Bengal, having played for the Red and Gold brigade across two stints. An East Bengal academy graduate, Hira played for a string of Calcutta Football League (CFL) clubs like Calcutta Port Trust, Rainbow AC, Tollygunge Agragami, and Peerless before making his senior debut for East Bengal in the 2018-19 season under Alejandro Menendez Garcia.

However, when East Bengal failed to give him a lucrative offer ahead of the 2022-23 season, Hira decided to join Bengaluru FC (BFC) on a two-year deal. Aiming to take his game to the next level, the 25-year-old feels that the BFC stint has allowed him to rub shoulders with some of the best players in the country and will help him achieve his dream of playing for the national team.

Under new head coach Simon Grayson, BFC kicked off their Durand Cup 2022 campaign with a 2-1 win over Jamshedpur FC (JFC) on Wednesday, August 17, at Kolkata’s Kishore Bharati Krirangan. Although goals from captain Sunil Chhetri and Fijian goalmachine Roy Krishna got the Blues off to a winning start in the new season, Hira’s BFC debut was rather forgettable as he was sent off in the 58th minute after receiving two bookings.

In a recent chat with Sportskeeda, Hira spoke about BFC's team environment, why he chose them over East Bengal, and his national team ambitions.

Here are the excerpts:

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Q: Your mother is a big fan of Sunil Chhetri and now you’re playing alongside him. It must be a dream come true for you…

Hira: My mother has been a big fan of Chhetri bhai for the past 10 to 12 years and she never misses his matches on TV. She told me to take one of his shirts last season, but I returned home before our last match. Chhetri bhai did give a shirt, but somebody else in the SC East Bengal camp took it away (laughs).

I never imagined that I would be playing alongside the Indian captain. Not only have I got his shirt now, but I'm also learning a lot from him inside the dressing room. It has been a great experience so far and it’s a big confidence booster for my career.

Q: You were a standout performer in your maiden ISL season. What are the key takeaways from your SC East Bengal stint?

Hira: Being an East Bengal academy graduate, it was my dream to represent East Bengal in the ISL. It’s a matter of great pride for Bengalis to play for the legacy clubs of Kolkata. I shared the dressing room with many senior players whom I grew up admiring. It was a surreal experience!

The SC East Bengal stint helped me become more conscious of my diet. I used to eat unhealthy food at home because I had very little knowledge about the benefits of eating healthy. Balwant [Singh] bhai, Raju [Gaekwad] bhai and Ari da [Arindam Bhattacharya] suggested I change my diet by replacing rice with quinoa.

They gave me useful tips to increase my stamina and taught me some important things that an athlete should be aware of. It was a great learning curve for me and I hope to learn more from my seniors here at Bengaluru FC.

Q: The Bengaluru FC squad has had a good mix of youth and experience. Do seniors like Sunil Chhetri, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Sandesh Jhingan spend enough time with the youngsters?

Hira: Initially, I thought that the seniors would stay aloof, but it’s nothing of the sort. Chhetri bhai, Gurpreet bhai and Sandesh bhai are like elder brothers to us and they always try to guide us with their experience. They praise us for our efforts and point out our mistakes. We love interacting with them because they are always willing to help and share their experience with us.

Q: You waited a long time for East Bengal’s offer before joining Bengaluru FC. You were also approached by Chennaiyin FC and ATK Mohun Bagan. What convinced you to choose Bengaluru over the other clubs?

Hira: SC East Bengal didn’t have a good season, but I tried to give my best in every match. It was a tough ISL campaign for us, both physically and mentally. After the ISL, I got offers from several clubs.

I took my time as I was waiting for East Bengal, who have played a big part in my growth as a footballer and I shall always be indebted to them. No matter where I go, I’ll always have a soft corner for East Bengal and their fans.

Being a professional footballer, though, I had to think about my own career as well. I was waiting for East Bengal but when things got delayed, I started considering other options. Like every Indian, I dream of playing for the national team and Bengaluru FC have many national team players.

If I perform well here, I’ll stand a better chance of making the national team. Bengaluru FC provide world-class facilities to the players and hence are one of the best clubs in India. I still love the East Bengal fans, but I think I made the right call by joining Bengaluru FC.

Q: With Jhingan’s inclusion, do you think Bengaluru FC now have the strongest defensive unit among the ISL clubs?

Hira: We already had a good defense before Sandesh bhai’s arrival. We just needed an experienced India international to lead the defense, and there isn’t a better person than Sandesh bhai for the job. Then we have two talented young defenders in Parag [Shrivas] and [Wungngayam] Muirang.

Our midfield and forward line are also looking quite good. You’ll find good players in every position. Let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best.

Q: Some of your former colleagues at SC East Bengal are of the opinion that you can be a lot more effective if you improve your attacking skills. How are you trying to get better at that?

Hira: While it’s true that I didn’t move up too much last season, those who’ve seen me play for Mohammedan Sporting Club know it's not my natural game. I like joining the attack, but the situation at SC East Bengal was such that I was forced to drop back and adopt a defensive mindset.

If we scored one goal, we ended up leaking two. The SC East Bengal defense was very vulnerable because of which I had to curb my attacking instincts.

This season, however, I’m confident of playing my natural game with my overlapping runs. Our team is well balanced and I’ll get good support from the defense as well as the attack.

Q: Your vlogs have become quite popular. Does Prabir Das, the YouTuber, now have a tough competitor in Hira Mondal?

Hira: There’s no competition between us (laughs). I’ve known Prabir da for a long time, but couldn’t interact with him much over the past two years due to the COVID-19 situation. Since we’re both Bengalis, we're staying together now and having a lot of fun.

I’m a big fan of his YouTube channel and he has way more subscribers than me. I try to involve him in my videos as much as possible because he’s a bigger crowd-puller.