Son of a gardener, Saikat Sarkar basks in the glory as his wonder strike sent to FIFA for Puskas consideration

It was the IFA that sent the recommendation and also sent a letter officially to the All India Football Association (AIFF) to recommend it to the world governing body.

For Sarkar, it was a moment of reckoning. After all the years of hard work that he did at the training grounds finally paid off. As a teen, Sarkar started playing football professionally in his hometown of Patuli (Kathaltala) and has often tried pulling off these acrobatic skills since then.

“I used to practice these shots a lot in practice sessions under the guidance of my coach,” the left-wing forward told The Indian Express in a free-wheeling chat.

“On the day of the match, I was fortunate that the ball was in perfect position and the execution was perfect,” said Sarkar, who has also plied his trade in the I-League.

While his team succumbed to a 2-1 loss, it was his goal in the 75th minute of the match that made all the noise. Rakesh Karmakar delivered the pinpoint cross and Sarkar coolly nailed the acrobatic finish from the edge of the box.

𝘼𝙗𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧 🔥👏🏽

Aryan FC’s Saikat Sarkar scored a beauty in their Calcutta Football League game against Calcutta Customs Club yesterday 🤯🤩

🎥 @IFABengal, InSports TV India 📱 #IndianFootball ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/FEFDUhZlW5

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) July 20, 2023

In 2017 he played with Bally Protiva Club in 1st division. After that, he switched to Khidderpore FC, Rainbow FC, Real Kashmir, and Calcutta Customs before settling down with the Aryans.

Son of a gardener, Sarkar started getting proper guidance when he was 14. He was often termed a late bloomer, but when asked why he did not join a club before, the 26-year-old revealed that it was mainly due to financial constraints. “We did not have enough money back then, and it took some time for my father to arrange funds and put me in coaching. But he always wanted me to play and never let money hinder my growth. Then my coach Biman Mondal guided me and helped me grow as a footballer.”

Sarkar, also a fan of Zlatan Ibrahimovic (another Puskas winner), mainly learned about this shot by watching videos on Youtube and fine-tuned his skills by watching tutorials on the website. “My current coach Deepak Chakravarty also helped me a lot, but watching the likes of Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic always inspired me, and I am glad to score a goal in that class,” he said.

With the video going viral, Sarkar has a slice of fame but is unwavering and wants to go on and play for the Indian national football team. “People are praising me, but I hope to get a chance with an ISL team, but for that, I need to work even harder,” Sarkar concluded. For now, Sarkar feels he could well play with an I-League club in the upcoming season.

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In CFL 2023, he has so far netted four goals including a hat-trick in the first match against Police AC at Kalyani.