Chennaiyin FC forward Rahim Ali believes that the club has given him a great platform to build on his debut in the Hero ISL 2019/20 season. Ali has proven himself with Indian Arrows in the I-League as well as the national team at the FIFA U-17 World Cup. In the 2021/22 season, he made 18 appearances for the Marina Machans, scoring two goals and providing two assists in the process.
“I had got an offer from Chennaiyin FC and I was aware that they are two-time Hero ISL champions. So, they were building a great team and were hungry for more trophies which is what got me interested in them, playing for such a club. My target is also to win a trophy with Chennaiyin FC,” Rahim Ali said. It has also been a great platform for me to improve my footballing ability. Many players like Thapa [Anirudh], Rafael Crivellaro, Eli Sabia, and Lucian Goian have helped me a lot and encouraged me to develop my playing style. I have learned a lot from them and there’s still more to learn because I’m still young.”
“It has always been a challenge to beat a guy who plays in the same position as you. I push myself every day because I know the foreign players are better than me, and that is why they are playing here in the Hero ISL. It is a challenge and to overcome that challenge, I have to be dedicated, work hard, and keep myself humble,” he added. “I played the Coca-Cola cup for my state West Bengal after which I was selected for the Indian Arrows team. I started playing football at the age of 6-7. My brother also played football at that time and that inspired me to get into football, to go to the ground and get started. I started going to the ground but had no support from my family.”
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