19 November,2021 08:24 AM IST | Mumbai | Ashwin Ferro
Chennaiyin FC’s Johnson Mathews
When seven-year-old Johnson Matthews played his first Mumbai Schools Sports Association (MSSA) U-8 inter-school football match 12 years ago for St Francis D'Assisi High School, Borivli, he only wanted to do one thing - score goals. And he scored all in that 6-0 win. That's where the seeds of a future professional footballer were sown.
Earlier this month, Matthews, 20, signed a professional contract for top-flight football with two-time Indian Super League champions Chennaiyin FC.
A striker, who can double up as a winger, Matthews has continued his goal-scoring habit long after his school days. He emerged the RFYS Golden Ball-winner (six goals) during FC Pune City's title-winning run in the U-18 I-League in 2018.
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Matthews has played for Mumbai FC and PIFA in junior age-group competitions and then represented Maharashtra at the Santosh Trophy after which he was picked among the reserves for Hyderabad FC. Then Chennaiyin FC came calling.
The Borivli resident credits Mumbai's various football avenues for his success. "Mumbai has a very vibrant football culture for all ages and that's where I honed all my skills. School football at MSSA was my foundation and inter-school matches were very exciting. It's the first time you interact with coaches and share the excitement of victory or the disappointment of defeat with your teammates, who are also your classmates. We won the U-14 MSSA title," Matthews recalled.
After school-level came locality-level football. "Fleet Footers is a club from my locality [IC Colony] and they have an amazing history of their own. We became champions of the Borivli Premier League three years in a row," added Matthews, who also successfully dabbled in 5-a-side rink football, another exciting footballing avenue in the city. "I played rink football for Uncle's Kitchen United FC. That's one of the best teams not only in Mumbai, but across the country because besides Mumbai, we won titles in Goa and Delhi. Rink football is short and fast and that helps you learn to make quick decisions in tight situations," added Matthews.
Chennaiyin FC did not have a great ISL last season, winning just three games out of 20 and finishing eighth in the 11-team competition. A solid improvement is the need of the hour and for this, they've appointed a new coach in Bozidar Bandovic, ex-coach of top Greek outfit, Olympiacos.
Bandovic has a strong belief in youngsters which explains India player Anirudh Thapa, 23, being handed the captain's armband. This, with the implementation of ISL's new seven-Indian players policy (in the playing XI) compared to six previously, spells good news for Matthews ahead of the ISL that kicks off in Goa today.
"It's my first ISL, so I'm excited. The two pre-season friendlies [against Bengaluru FC and Odisha FC] were very competitive. To get those few minutes in the bag helped my confidence. The coach has a clear plan and so far, it's looking good for me," Matthews concluded.
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