It was a surreal feeling – Phurba Lachenpa on joining Mumbai City FC

Mumbai City FC goalkeeper recalled when he was called for a trial in a camp by the Islanders. The 25-year-old from Sikkim admitted it was a surreal feeling when he received a call from the club. The talisman has been performing consistently for the team since he joined Des Buckingham’s team.

The youngster played a key role in taking Mumbai City to the Hero ISL double in the 2020-21 season. Furthermore, he was instrumental in helping Mumbai City FC clinch the League Shield in the latest edition as they went unbeaten in the first 18 matches of the season.

Lachenpa made a total of 64 saves in 22 games of the ISL 2022-23 season, the third highest in the tournament. Moreover, he kept a total of seven clean sheets in the competition.

“It was surreal when I first got to know that I was being called up for the camp,” Phurba told AIFF Media. “I’ve worked hard this season, and my performances in the Hero ISL have been good, but to get the first National Team call-up is always special.”

Lachenpa revealed he wanted to be a fast bowler in cricket and had little idea about football.

“Football is quite popular in Sikkim, but the (sports) culture is different in Lachen, which is to say that it is almost non-existent,” said Phurba. “I did not have much idea about prospects in football, so when I was a kid, I started training to be a fast bowler in cricket.”

The custodian revealed as there was not a lot of exposure to cricket in Sikkim, he decided to make a switch to football. Lachenpa is also a huge admirer of former Indian skipper MS Dhoni.

“As I started to take sports more seriously, I realised that there’s not as much scope to progress as a cricketer in Sikkim, so I switched to football, trained hard, and hoped for the best,” he recalled. “I was already growing quite tall by then, so the coaches took notice of that and asked me to play as a goalkeeper.

“I would say that my height proved to be an advantage, especially in the north-east, where people are generally not as tall,” said Lachenpa.

The Mumbai City goalkeeper admitted that it was difficult for him in the initial stages of his career as his mother didn’t have much idea about making a career in sports.

“Those initial stages were not easy. My mother did not have much idea about sports and wanted me to concentrate on studies instead. But I had a lot of support from my brother, who also played himself, and my sister,” said Phurba.

“Now, of course, my mother is very happy with what I’ve done with my life so far,” he smiled.