One of my aims is to get senior India call-up, says Parthib Gogoi

Guwahati, Oct 27: Parthib Gogoi is one of the brightest young strikers in India right now, enjoying a breakout 2023/24 Indian Super League (ISL) campaign. The 20-year-old has netted three goals in three games for NorthEast United FC, already matching his total from last season.

With a bright future ahead, Parthib opened up about his journey, the role his father played in it, his on-field relationship with his brother, and his aspirations in football.

Parthib shared how his father stoked his love for football by showing him clips of Messi and Ronaldo, despite not having a smartphone. “My father didn’t have a smartphone so he used to bring us clips. I didn’t even know smartphones existed. He used to bring his Nokia phone to show me videos of Messi and Ronaldo. Dad also enjoyed playing football, so he wanted to show me how these players play. I was very young and he started showing me all of this,” the feisty forward said in an episode of In The Stands - Parthib Gogoi on JioCinema.

Parthib is teammates with his elder brother Pragyan and shared a story about the last time they got into an argument.

“We were playing against East Bengal. I was on the right and I got the ball. He was not marked and asked for a pass, but I didn’t hear him because of the noise from the fans. I shot the ball and then I saw him, he was fuming. I knew he was going to give me an earful when we went back home,” said Parthib.

After a strong start to the season, Parthib hopes he gets an opportunity to play for the Indian senior team.

“Since I was young, I’ve been telling my brother I want to play for India. I have played across all the youth age groups and now I have two aims. The first is to make it to the playoffs with NE United and the other is to be called up to the senior team,” he added.

One of his motivations for playing for India is he will get a chance to play alongside his idol Sunil Chhetri. “It’s simple. I want to play alongside Chhetri bhai at least once. I have never met him but I’ve played against him twice. One was the I-League Stars vs the national team and then, a game against Bangalore FC. He’s a massive inspiration for us to keep going,” Parthib hinted.