The defenders play a significant role in game play, consequently the first pass of the goalkeeper is played to the defenders in order to build up attacks from the back. Subham Bhattacharya is an 18-year-old defender who penned down a deal for Odisha FC. The former RFYC graduate is keen on learning from his coaches and teammates at Odisha FC.

Early Life

Subham is a resident of Rishra, West Bengal— the land of Acland Mill and players like Sudhir Karmakar, Sishir Ghosh, Kingshuk Debnath hail from the same region. But for Subham, his inspiration has been his father and elder brother. His father, Srikanta Bhattacharya was instrumental as he had the experience of playing in clubs in Kolkata, like Aryans and Tollygunge. As a child, Subham has seen his father playing exhibition matches. Football earned his father a job. Before his father, there was none with the passion of football in his family.

Subham started playing when he was 6 years old, afterwards his destination was on the banks of the Arabian sea, Mumbai. He appeared for the trials and successfully joined Reliance Foundation Young Champs when he was 11 years old. His journey in RFYC academy has been fundamental. At the end of 2017 Subham impressed the coaches at the trials and in 2018 he was selected from the trials.

Time at Reliance Foundation Young Champs

When academies work closely with the young players, the young minds are nurtured holistically. Consequently, early professionalism creates a broader impact for the future years. A proper knowledge of an injury is essential to play the game. The tactical and technical aspects of the game were taught by RFYC to Subham. He started as a striker but afterwards he shifted to the backline.

This paradigm shift was not a walk in the park. He had to train vigorously to get accustomed with the changes. Subham told – “it is a big thing for me to sign for Odisha FC at the age of 18” to Athletic India. Subham struggled at the beginning but eventually he adapted. He preferred to keep the ball on the ground. His idea was concrete and wanted to get himself established on it.

Subham played a year under Jose Ramirez Baretto. His first coach in under 12 coach was Mark Vaseen and Arnold Danthi. As revealed by Subham, it was Arata Izumi who played a pivotal role and under his mentorship he grasped the game. Arata Izumi was accompanied by Bhavin Pamnani to mentor the under 13 boys. He got upgraded gradually with his performances. It was Robert Roelofsen and Sakhsham Kakkar who counselled Subham till he joined Sergio Lobera’s camp.

Time Abroad

This steady development shapes footballers in a comprehensive way. During his time at RFYC, Subham had the opportunity to play abroad. When he was in the under 12 and 13 batch, he went to Spain for two years. The team also had the opportunity to showcase their skills in Dubai. In 2023, Subham went to Japan. He revealed that the standard in Japan is very high. Players often lack the technical aspects of the game in Japan, but they are ahead physically as well as mentally. “We have learnt a lot from the Japan tour”, Subham told. He added that the players in Spain are much ahead of Indians in terms of technical prowess.

Apart from the coaches, the Head of Child Welfare Padma Rewari played a massive role in chiseling the young minds. Padma was often referred to as “Mom” in the RFYC camp, as revealed by Subham. She was the captain of the ship which sailed beyond football pitches. Padma was not only a parental figure between the players, eventually she became a friend as well.

His Idol and Idea of the Game

When asked about his favourite players Subham staunchly replied – “Silva, Thiago Silva.” Thiago Silva is known for his tactical intelligence and defensive leadership. There are other notable names such as Ronald Araujo (Uruguay, Barcelona), Jon Stones (Manchester City, England), Matthijs de Ligt (Netherlands, Manchester United) that he mentioned. Apart from the foreign players, Anwar Ali and Kingshuk Debnath are two names which he mentioned in the interview. When questioned about his favourite jersey he said no. 3, later on he added that he also wants to wear 33 just like Thiago Silva in Milan.

Possessional football helps in dictating the pace of the game. The idea behind this philosophy is to have patience and precision. The ball is circulated effectively to create breaches, so that an attack can be formed. The correct rhythm and knowledge of movement will aid the attack through its final objective. These movements are created by intricate passes between the players. Subham’s idea is to play with the ball, similarly, sustaining pressure and not committing to forced errors. He has completed 114 passes in a RFDL match with a 96% success rate. Moreover, his diagonal balls behind the backline of the opponent are quite impressive. He has the ability to find his teammates and can dribble past men. His height offers dominance in aerial balls and works as a threat for opponent’s set pieces.

Current Situation and Author’s Note

Currently he has suffered a hamstring injury on his left leg at the Indian Oil Durand Cup. He started at the Durand Cup for Odisha FC. Subham is undertaking rehab and needs time till he comes back. He said – “I am learning from outside the field right now. If I can learn from here, definitely there’s more when I get back on the field.” He is keen on recovering from the injury.

Subham is primarily a young defender and can also play in three back system. His philosophy and holistic development have earned him the spot at Odisha FC. His development should be prioritized, that is why he must get a grasp on senior level football. If he continues with the right mentorship, he can don the blue jersey. Subham needs to consistently do good in the training to impress his coaches. His struggle at the toughest level has just begun. There will be vicissitude, nevertheless how he comes back that remains a mystery.