Indian wicketkeeper-batter, Sanju Samson has recently come forward to help a promising footballer from Kerala. He has sponsored the flight tickets of Adarsh, who has been selected for a one-month training programme with Spanish fifth division side CD La Virgen del Camino.
Adarsh, a degree student of Marthoma College, Thiruvalla is a talented football left-winger who hails from Kuttamperoor in Mannar. He idolises Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, will be leaving for Madrid on Sunday.
With the help of Chengannur MLA and Minister for Fisheries, Culture and Youth Affairs Saji Cherian, he was able to raise funds for the trip. The Karakkode Leo Club generated a sum total of Rs. 50,000 for Adarsh while the minister himself donated the rest of the amount to him.
Saji Cherian took to Facebook and shared the news in a post.
"It was a week ago that a young man named Adarsh, a resident of Mannar Kuttampoor, came to see me,” Cherin wrote in his Facebook post.
“A graduate student of Thiruvalla Marthoma College, he is a brilliant football player. Adarsh has got a big opportunity, but he was worried that he will lose that opportunity because of financial problems.”
"Adarsh had the opportunity to train for a month at Deportivo La Vergne del Camino, a third division league in Spain. About five matches can be played in this period. There is a possibility of getting a contract if the club or other clubs give preference to the performance.”
“This is a dream opportunity for our native football player to get the chance to play in league matches in a country which is the most important country in football like Spain. But we have to find ourselves the necessary cost for this. It was a crisis,” he added.
“Our beloved star Sanju Samson has sponsored Adarsh’s flight ticket. The well-wishers of the country and studied in their school, they have done whatever they can to help. Further, the possibilities of the sports department to pay the required amount were examined, but before that, there were technical problems as Adarsh had to leave immediately.”
“In this situation, Rs 50000 collected by Karakkad Leo Club was handed over to Adarsh today. The remaining amount was handed over to Adarsh. Adarsh will travel to Madrid the day after tomorrow. He is a big fan of ideal left-wing forward Cristiano Ronaldo. I am sure that tomorrow Adarsh will be our proud star. I wish this opportunity would pave the way for him,” he said ahead.
Sanju Samson is currently playing for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Kerala, where his performance has been extremely impressive. He has scored 54*, 45* and 56* across five matches.
He was last seen playing international cricket in July against Sri Lanka, scoring 34 runs in three T20Is and 46 on his ODI debut.
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