It started with pieces of loose cloth crumpled into one. From there, a tennis ball on good days. Making the most of his surroundings inside his small room in Hyderabad, the absence of a football did not stop Syed Nayeemuddin from playing his favourite game - the love for which runs in his blood.
“My father was a good footballer and came to Hyderabad for his job. I lost him when I was just five years old. I used to go to Remistanpur High School in Musheerabad, where I played with a tennis ball.
From there, I played [for] my school in inter-school tournaments,” former India captain and coach Nayeemuddin told Sportstar . His game caught the eye of the Hyderabad Police Football team scouts. At just 18, Nayeemuddin was called to play for the then heavyweights of Indian football.
Initially playing for the reserves, he was gradually integrated into the senior squad and featured in prestigious tournaments like the Durand Cup, Rovers Cup, and IFA Shield. Soon, the heavyweights of Kolkata came knocking. “Mohun Bagan, Mohammedan Sporting and especially East Bengal were very interested when they saw me.
J.C. Guha (Jyotish Chandra Guha), then general secretary of East Bengal, saw me play in Delhi and decided to pick me (in 1966).
Other clubs were also interested, so Jyotish Da sent one of his assistants to Hyderabad so that no club could talk to me. I was under strict surveillance,” Nayeemuddin said, recalling his playing days with the legendary Peter Thangaraj and Ram Bahadur, wi.