Game
Preview

Up in the air

It will be a battle to exert physical supremacy on both ends of the pitch tonight. The Blues’ backline should be marshalled by Juanan, who never shies from a battle. And he, along with whoever partners him, will have to be on their A-game as the visitors’ attack is led by the formidable Aridane Santana. Against Odisha FC, Santana won balls in the air and came close to scoring twice with well-taken headers. The 31-year-old took more shots at the goal than anyone on the pitch in Hyderabad FC’s first game and was clever enough to set up the move that won them the match-winning penalty.

The Blues’ Gonzalez duo - Juan and Fran , and later Pratik Chaudhari on as a substitute against FC Goa, are the only centre-backs (apart from NorthEast United’s) to go through the motions without giving away a single foul. They were also very tidy in possession, always looking for the right pass from the back rather than a hasty clearance, ranking second from the bottom for clearances in the League so far.

At the other end, whoever leads the line for the home side could look to impose themselves in the box. At 6’ 2”, both Kristian Opseth and Deshorn Brown will have a few inches on Joao Victor, Odei Onaindia and Adil Khan. While neither striker got on the scoresheet in the opening game, it was their presence in the box that made space for the goals. Opseth’s run and attempt to get to a loose ball unlocked space in the box for Cleiton to head home. And in the second half, it was Deshorn Brown’s header that helped Erik Paartalu set up Juanan for his strike.

The midfield scrap

As with most games, the battle in the middle of the pitch might dictate how the teams will fare. In the Blues’ opening game, Erik Paartalu and Suresh Wangjam - aided by Ashique and Udanta Singh - covered every blade of grass in the middle of the pitch as they helped the team both in defence and attack.

For Hyderabad FC, it is the trio of Lluis Sastre, Hitesh Sharma and Mohammed Yasir that try to get things moving in the midfield. They particularly look to Sastre for making things happen, with the Spaniard having significantly more touches of the ball and more passes than anyone on the pitch in their game against Odisha FC.

Sparks of brilliance

While both teams will be led by imposing strikers tonight, it is the creative brains behind them that could set the stage alight.

While the Blues’ new Brazilian import opened his, and the team’s, account for the season against FC Goa, Cleiton Silva made an impact on the game beyond his goal. His movement across lines and awareness of where his teammates are at all times had the Blues faithful excited about what’s to come this campaign.

Having let Marcelinho go in the summer, the visitors will be banking on Liston Colaco to unlock defences this season. The Goan came into the game as a highly sought after teenager, standing out among his peers right from the under-14 days. While his move to FC Goa did not work out, he has finally hit his stride since joining Hyderabad FC midway through last season. Having played his formative years as a striker, he now occupies positions behind the striker or out wide, where he has the freedom to move across the pitch. With a full pre-season with his side under his belt, he will look to be at the centre of all things good for his team tonight.

Of Silva linings and smiles

His Disposition Is Nice And Easy, His Thoughts, Articulate, But It’s Cleiton Silva’s Desire That Speaks The Loudest. In Fact, It Almost Yells At You, In A Way You Cannot Ignore…

Five minutes into conversation with Cleiton Silva, you come away with two notes. One, the man links everything to happiness and football. Two, his ambitions and drive come in only the one portion – king size. It also explains how he went about getting his first goal in a Bengaluru shirt and Indian football last Sunday, and the celebration that followed.

Speaking about king size, kings and fiefdom, Cleiton is footballing royalty in his own right. The Brazilian leaves Thailand as the League’s all-time leading scorer – a feat he’s managed across five clubs and roughly a decade in the Asian country. Which begs the question, why walk away from everything to restart from nothing?

“I guess it’s the thought of backing yourself to do it all over again in another country? I want to be able to do in India, what I achieved in Thailand and I feel I have that opportunity with Bengaluru FC. This is a big club that wins and always wants to win trophies. I want to win trophies, not just to turn up and play. I want to fight to top the League, to win the cup, to be top scorer, to be the MVP of the League. I can do all of this in Thailand. But now I want to do it in India.” The hunger in his voice is palpable.

For someone who hails from a patch on the earth that has a thick directory of footballing idols to choose from, Cleiton is expected to throw back his head, narrow his eyes and spill a few names when we task him with picking just one hero. Instead he asks us to check the phone where he’s sent us a picture. It’s that man. The one with the ridiculous hairdo, arms spread, buck teeth prominent, celebrating in the Selecao’s traditional colours of a yellow-green shirt and blue shorts, after just having reduced some defender’s career to a sorry existence. Cleiton’s even thrown in a caption for good measure – ‘The King R9’. It’s almost as if he’s kept that picture handy to settle an unannounced debate on who he thinks is the best.

“Football is filled with wonderful players like Neymar, Messi and Cristiano. But honestly, there is only one footballer in my heart – R9, the king. I have never seen a striker like him and never will, and I have seen some special footballers like Henry and Zidane. But Ronaldo - for me – was the greatest of them all. My memories as a kid of watching him and the things he did, are special. No footballer changed me the way Ronaldo did.”

He’s written records in a country halfway across the globe, but Cleiton wasn’t sure of a life in football until he actually packed his bags to head to Thailand. “I grew up on my grandfather’s farm. I have four brothers and though we did play football there, it was when I moved to the city, at eleven years of age, when I started taking the sport more seriously. I joined an academy called Democrata.”

When his elder brother buried his own aspirations of becoming footballer to begin doing the odd job, Cleiton knew that the dream rested on his shoulders. “My brother was a good player, but back then we didn’t have enough money and he had to start working when he was only 14. This was his dream before it was mine, and he supported me. It was difficult for me at first, because he and my parents struggled to pay for my bus tickets to go for training or when they had to buy me things. But when I look back now, I am happy because it paid off.”

It did pay off, but not until almost a decade later when Cleiton made the trip to Samut Prakan, a tiny province in Thailand where the erstwhile Osotsapa offered him a trial. “It wasn’t easy at first. I was stressed out quite a bit because I was turning 22 and not making enough money through football. I played amateur football in Brazil, because the Leagues there were not organised back then. Getting the opportunity to move to Thailand changed my life.”

Brief stints in China and Mexico fell in between, but it was his time in Thailand where Cleiton made a name for himself. Over a decade, Cleiton represented five Thai clubs, going on to win the Thai League, Thai League Cup and Thai Champions Cup on two occasions. Twice named the TPL’s top scorer, in 2012 and 2016, one would think things kicked off with ease for the Blues’ no. 23, but that was not the case.

“When I made the switch to Thailand, my agent was a player there, and his agent helped me get some trials. When I first arrived, I didn’t know many people or the culture or the food. I was homesick, and things were tough. But inside me I knew I had to be strong. Two weeks into my trial, another Brazilian player came along and we signed together. Things kicked on from there, but those first few weeks were among the toughest of my career. When I moved to Thailand is when I started sending enough money home to support my family.”

You can hear the happiness in his voice when he speaks about family. For Cleiton, nothing means more. The 33-year-old spends most of his time to and from training catching up with them. And a sense of responsibility towards his loved ones is what has seen him spend a third of his life away from them.

“My mother was a teacher, but now she is retired. My father looks after his farm. It’s something he loves doing; spending time with his poultry and cows. They have visited me in China and in Thailand, and now they are very curious about India, too. I’d love to have them here, but it is difficult. It was my son’s birthday a few days ago, and it’s tough to be away from them but that’s life. These are the sacrifices you have to make as a footballer.”

Even as he speaks of missing his little ones or spending his days alone in a hotel room, the Brazilian’s beam is wide. It is an expression that scarcely leaves him, and in giving us his final answer, Cleiton tells us that it’s the most important thing in his arsenal.

“I like to play with happiness. I still carry with me the joy of playing with my brothers in the farm. The rush I got from kicking the ball down the street with my friends when I was only a little boy. Happiness has always been the most important thing. Even when you are fighting for it, you need to already have it. Because if I am happy, I know I will play well.”