‘School students travelling abroad for matches grabbed my attention’ – Gaurav Bora recalls what attracted him to football

NorthEast United FC’s defender Gaurav Bora recalled how his footballing career kicked off. Bora revealed that his school mates were travelling abroad for matches and it grabbed his attention. Bora, 25, made his Indian Super League debut under the tutelage of Josep Gombau for Delhi Dynamos.

The Spanish manager Gombau tipped Bora to become the best central defenders as he was rising through the ranks. “Gaurav can become one of the best central defenders. For that, he has to improve physically. He has good game-reading skills and is also good with the ball. I think he can go on to play for India.” 

Bora started his football journey with his school team CRPF public school. Bora said in a recent social media post shared by the club, “I was interested in football because the very first day in school, there were some players who were travelling abroad to play matches. That grabbed my attention.”

Bora also won the I-league with Chennai City FC when he was on loan.

“I played there for two seasons and won one I-League. After that I got a call for India U-23,” the defender recalled the moment when he first represented the tricolour.

The defender played three seasons for Odisha FC and impressed with his game. Subsequently, he led NorthEast United in the Durand Cup in the previous season and the team made it to the semifinals.

“It was a big responsibility, but it was a proud moment for me and my family. We reached the semi-final, unfortunately it did not go our way.”

Bora’s contract with the Highlanders will expire this season. Sharing a message for the fans, he said, “I’ll ask the fans to continue supporting the team. And to the club I wish the best, this will always be my home and I always love NorthEast United.”

Bora played five matches for NorthEast United FC in ISL 2023-24 season.