Phrangki Buam, 19, is the up and rising star of Indian football and for the past three seasons, he has shone with his goal-scoring exploits in the I-League, Shillong Premier League, Meghalaya State League, and I-League second division.
He is the quintessential No.10 and this year, at FC Bengaluru United in the second division, he has also been used as a left winger by coach Richard Hood.
Buam loves the feeling of putting the ball in the back of the net and having played about 100 matches in the past three years, he called it all a "good experience".
"Playing a lot is good experience, I'm not tired with it. We need to play more to get experience.
"Last two years, I have scored a lot of goals and that makes me very happy. I aim to be the top scorer for both my club and college," Buam said in an Instagram live.
Buam is currently pursuing education, sociology and Khasi language in his Bachelor of Arts course at Shillong College. While football is what he is completely focussed on, he said he likes education as well.
EXPERIENCE AT FC BENGALURU UNITED
Buam was coached by one of India's finest Richard Hood and former player Gouramangi Singh at FCBU in the I-League second division. He scored two goals in the eight appearances he made there but said he was very happy to have been coached by them.
"They put a lot of focus on fitness and used to make me run so much that I didn't want to play football anymore," he chuckled.
"But I know it is good for us," he added.
Buam gave an insight into how Hood tactically worked with the team, "He asked us to attack as a team and he was very particular about positioning. He wanted the players to be at the place they were required."
He also shared that he is essentially a shy person and so he doesn't talk much in the dressing room and prefers to focus on the game.
FOOTBALL OR GIRLFRIEND?
During the live, he was asked to choose between girlfriend and football and he picked the sport, cheekily adding, "football is my first love."
Buam also shared an interesting bit of information about his uncle Ebormi Buam. Ebormi pushed Buam into football and even went with him for Sports Authority of India trials back in 2012.
Last season, Buam played a Shillong Premier League game for Shillong Lajong against Ebormi, who featured for debutants Ryntih SC as a 33-year-old.
Apart from football, the teenager likes badminton and cricket as well and back at his village, Thangbuli, he used to play quite a lot of cricket.
A fast bowler, Buam revealed, "Back in village, when my friend used to ask me to come play cricket, I would leave football to play with them."
THE PAIN OF RELEGATION
Buam played for Shillong Lajong and scored six goals as an 18-year-old for them in I-League 2018-19 - the season they got relegated. That season, Lajong played with a young squad whose average was 19 and ended up as their top scorer in the campaign.
Buam shared that dealing with the relegation was a tough pill to swallow. "I felt very sad, I didn't want to talk to anyone that day. I just went to sleep and after that, I motivated myself to not think about it and focus on improving myself.
"Everyone was very sad, even the coach didn't talk much. But it was a lesson for us that we're young with lots to learn."
He further said that if Lajong were still in the I-League, "I'd still play with them." However, he doesn't want to be in a position again where he is playing with an inexperienced all-Indian squad.
An attacking midfielder, who plays as a left winger occasionally, Buam said his father is his biggest supporter at home. He shared that when he was leaving for Bengaluru, his father not only asked him to give his best but gave him the advice of leading a simple, down-to-earth life.
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