The 2022 FIFA World Cup was one for the history books, elevating football frenzy to a whole new level. The Qatar event saw globally acclaimed footballers in all their glory. However, the reality of footballers closer home is quite grim. Often former star athletes have to resort to menial jobs, due to lack of government aid or other resources.
An International-level football player, Polami Adhikary is going viral for exactly this reason. On 10 January, a Twitter user took to social media to share Polami's story of struggle.
Attaching a video where the footballer is conversing in Bengali, she wrote, "She is Polami Adhikary a football player who has represented India at the international level. Today she has to support her family as an online food delivery person."
In the video, Polami - dressed as a Zomato delivery agent - can be heard answering why she chose to be a food delivery partner. She says, "I'm professionally a football player. I have played on both national and international levels. But I had to take up food delivery through Zomato, Swiggy and other odd jobs to make ends meet."
Being the sole breadwinner in her family, she shares that her daily earnings are restricted to Rs 300-400, with it dipping to Rs 150 on slow days.
The clip also reveals more details about her life. A resident of Behala, Kolkata, she shares that she's a final-year student at Charuchandra college. She also explains how she has represented India in various football tournaments, Under-16 championships as well as travelled to Germany, UK, Sri Lanka and many other places for her sport.
The now-viral clip concludes with Polami dribbling a football with a smile.
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