Diego Forlan

Calcutta: Imagine Inception star Leonardo di Caprio making a guest appearance in a Tollywood potboiler. While that might not be an impossibility in these days of surging economies, the cocktail might just be spoiled by too many hiccups. But for those who believe in extracting joy from every drop of life, it’s too good an experience to ponder on the negatives.

Diego Forlan’s rendezvous with 40,000-odd football fanatics on an otherwise insipid Sunday, at the Salt Lake Stadium, is a case in point. While, for the critics, the floodlit evening would do little to improve India’s Fifa rankings, there were many present, for whom being in the same stadium as the best player of the 2010 World Cup will become their most precious memory.

True, ‘The Match’, precisely, the final episode of a football reality show for an entertainment channel, between Mohun Bagan and Challengers XI, which the former won 2-0, was anything but good football. But the most prominent reality of the show was undoubtedly Forlan.

He was supposed to encourage the Challengers, he went a step further. Along with Brazilian World Cup-winner Branco, the Uruguayan was seen detailing tactics for the Challengers on the drawing board.

Monojit Das, assistant coach of the Challengers, elaborated: “He was very involved during the game, instructing us on the dos and don’ts. He even inquired about the positioning of the players and advised me to interchange some of them.

“During the half-time, he went up to the boys and encouraged them, asking them not to be nervous.”

Asked what the 2010 World Cup Golden Ball winner had to say about the ambience, Monojit said: “He was thrilled with the crowd. He kept asking about Bagan’s standard in the national scenario. He was impressed with Ishfaq Ahmed’s speed and also lauded Tapan Naskar (of the Challengers).”

Ishfaq, who scored the opening goal for Bagan, couldn’t hide his joy when told that Forlan had praised him. “I didn’t have a chance to interact with him… But if he liked my game, there’s nothing like it. To play in front of the current best player in the world was an overwhelming experience,” said Ishfaq.

Dipendu Biswas, former India player and captain of the Challengers XI, was equally ecstatic.

“He asked me to operate from a little deep. He also praised us for our performance since we were up against a professional side. The overall experience is too great to describe,” the striker said.

Bagan coach Stanley Rozario put it simply: “I’m lucky to be coaching in Calcutta. Otherwise I would have missed such a great experience. Such a brilliant atmosphere is only possible in Calcutta.”

Coming back to the 70-minute match, Santosh Oraon scored Bagan’s second in the dying minute of the match.

And guess who’s the latest star of Indian soccer?

Before saying Bhaichung Bhutia or Sunil Chetri, consider the Salt Lake Stadium as an alternative. The stadium may be miles from being a world class venue, but it’s certainly not short on attracting class players from around the world.

Oliver Kahn, Diego Maradona, Diego Forlan… Who’s next?