This football fan dribbles the night away

Ridham Arora and Awiral Grover


CHANDIGARH: All of 11, Panchkula resident Shaleen Aggarwal has turned nocturnal ever since the World Cup started. The football afficionado is too excited to turn in on time these days.


He also has to fend off his brother to watch the matches. “I have to fight with my little brother for the TV remote to watch the World Cup matches”, says Shaleen. Besides having to stake claim on the remote on a daily basis, Shaleen also finds himself unable to watch cartoons anymore. “After watching football on TV, I do not feel like wasting time on cartoon shows and other programmes”, he says. The boy describes himself as the biggest football fan and the centre of his affection is the Brazilian team. “History speaks for itself in case of Brazil. They have a strong squad,” he says.

Shaleen idolizes Neymar and cannot bear to miss a single moment of the player on screen. “Neymar can dribble past anyone. I get goosebumps watching his remarkable skill on the field,” says the student of Bhavan Vidyalaya, Sector-27. Recently, Shaleen participated in the Chandigarh Football League, representing the team, ‘FC Barca’.

As Shaleen revels in the spirit of football, his mother tries to calm her two exuberant sons. “I try to understand Shaleen’s passion but the constant fighting between the brothers keeps me on my toes. I have to pacify them to maintain some peace in the house,” his mother said. However, she also expressed satisfaction at Shaleen’s interest and talent in football.