To shrink the distance between their Napean Sea Road home and Old Trafford stadium in London, Vivaan and Mizhan Kapoor spent a few thousands to buy a slice of the original pitch which they watered and trimmed diligently... until Mumbai's remorseless heat took its victim
To shrink the distance between their Napean Sea Road home and Old Trafford stadium in London, Vivaan and Mizhan Kapoor spent a few thousands to buy a slice of the original pitch which they watered and trimmed diligently... until Mumbai's remorseless heat took its victim
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MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar will have to think up a new game plan. The champions of Indian cricket don't have much support from GenY. At least not right now. And it's not going to be music to their ears when they hear: "Cricket is for older folks. Our generation follows football; it's fast-paced unlike cricket which unfolds slowly." That comes from 16 year-old Mumbai boy Mizhan Kapoor.
Mizhan and Vivaan's mother Soojata Kapoor says she isn't allowed to
"speak, eat or cheer when their team is playing." PIC/ Satyajit Desai
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And he's not alone.
He and 17 year-old brother Vivaan belong to a family obsessed with the game; their passion for football runs thicker than blood. Their grand uncle spent endless hours watching his favourite team Manchester United string winning goals, while their mother Soojata Kapoor cheered for team Arsenal. "We were hooked to the Man-United team thanks to David Beckham. In 2003, he moved to Real Madrid, but we didn't change sides," says Vivaan, lounging in his room at their Napean Sea Road residence.
The two brothers are devotees of Wayne Rooney, the 26 year-old striker who burst on to the Old Trafford stage in September 2004 with an unforgettable hat trick against Fenerbah e. "He's got the ugliest smile, but he can turn a losing game to a win. That's what matters. Besides, Beckham is old now," shrugs Vivaan.u00a0u00a0
December 30, 2009, is a special day for the boys, for more reasons than one. The Kapoor family boarded a flight to London to watch their favourite club settle for a handsome 5-0 win against Wigan. They were four among 65,000 fans at the Old Trafford pitch. "The experience was something else. I was tapped by a stranger and asked if I was Rafael," chuckles Vivaan, who shares his hairstyle with the 20 year-old, Brazil-born, Rafael da Silva who plays for Man-United.
The momentous victory had to culminate in a shopping spree at the Manchester United Megastore. In 2007, a record one million fans shopped at this sanctuary for the mad-about-football tribe. Spread across 17,000 square feet, with 39 cash registers, the space sells 800 kinds of products ranging from T-shirts and football gear to memorabilia, and even a Manchester United football pitch that comes at an immodest 25 pounds (Rs 1,714 approx).
Since Manchester United owns Old Trafford stadium, the club sells 23 cm x 17 cm x 2 cm slices of the pitch, complete with grass seed and topsoil similar to that used on the original pitch.
The otherwise fidgety bros turn solemn when they recall the historic purchase that comes with a 30-day money back guarantee. After all, the two fathered the tricky toddler for one week. They took turns to garden the mini pitch that sits on their study table, with water, soil and regular trimming, and watched the seeds sprout into lush green blades. "But it couldn't handle the harsh sun and air-conditioning. It did grow lush for three days, but it has wilted now," laughs Soojata.
The good news is that their other prized purchases -- custom-made jerseys and coffee mugs, wallets, football banners and a pair of shoes, are all rock-solid.
Mizhan doesn't mind flashing 'football player' on his calling card; he was meant to attend the PIPA coaching camp in Barcelona this July but "damn education came in the way," growls the student of Bombay International School who starts college this year.
In contrast to free-spirited Vivaan, a drummer with music band One Track Mind, Mizhan is emotional about the game. "He almost broke down when Rooney suffered a ligament tear while playing Bayern Munich in the Champions League this March. From where they eat, who they are dating to when the players sleep -- he spends 17 hours on his Macbook researching dope about his favourite players. I'm not even allowed to speak, eat or cheer when their team is playing," says the slightly riled mother.
Soojata can finally hoot and dig into crispy chips, guilt-free, if she caves in to her sons' moist-eyed pleas for the family to fly down to South Africa for the ongoing World Cup. The football expert brothers feel it's Spain who will take home the trophy this time. "But Brazil is also a successful team, and Italy has veteran coach Marcello Lippi. And then there's Rooney's England," grins a confused Mizhan.
What's in the Grow Your Own Manchester United Football Pitch tin?
>>Pack of grass seed
>>Pack of topsoil
>>Pack of superior growing medium
>>Certificate of grass seed authenticity
>>Double sided poster
>>'Theatre of Dreams'u00a0- History of Old Trafford leaflet
>>Instructional poster
>>Plastic pitch layout including goals and corner flags
>>Cardboard tin lid stand
Grass was greener on that side of the Indian Ocean
The pitch couldn't take the harsh Indian sun, lament Vivaan and Mizhan
The handbook
Learn your freestyle football moves
Freestyle juggling
"Pop" the ball up with your toe area. Keep your balance. Don't pop it much higher than your knees unless you are about to do a trick.
Flick up
Basically, a flick up is when you use your feet to pop, bounce and flick off the ground to start juggling the ball with your feet. There are many variations, but start with the basic "roll and flick". Roll the
ball towards you with your dominant foot, then flick
it up.
Around The World
Akin to the behind-the-back dribble in basketball, this is one of the most basic tricks of freestylers. Bounce the ball off your foot so that it goes straight up to about knee height. With enough practice, you'll be able to "dribble" the ball this way. As you can control the move and continuously bounce the ball off of the top of your foot, take that foot and make a small circle around the ball while it is up in the air, and then get your foot underneath it by the time
it comes down.
Heel Pop
Hold the ball under your dominant foot. Step forward with your weaker foot about 16 to 18 inches. Put the toes of your dominant foot on top of the ball. Roll the ball as quickly as you can down the bottom of your foot until your toes hit the ground. The ball will bounce off your heel, and you can then spin around and start juggling it with your feet as it comes down.
Back, Up and Over
Place the ball under your dominant foot in front of you. Roll it backward and put your other foot on top of the ball. Jump and flick the ball up in the air so that it goes forward and comes down right on your foot. Dribble the ball three times, and then do this trick again.
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