It was good news over the weekend that Mangi, as he is fondly called by friends, will be going over for trials to Australia with A-League expansion franchise Melbourne Heart from June 7 to 19.
A real challenge for the Churchill Brothers SC defender, but one that he will cherish and hopefully succeed in.
Mangi could follow in the footsteps of team mate Sunil Chhetri, who just a few weeks ago signed for US Major League Soccer club Kansas City Wizards.
And he would be the only fourth Indian footballer to play abroad.
The first time
I heard the first time about Gouramangi Moirangthem Singh in September 2001 when his name was mentioned to me by the then Indian Youth coach Islam Akhmedov as one of the best prospects amongst the juniors.
Coach Akhmedov, who hails from Uzbekistan, has an eye to spot talent. I remember he toured the North-East for three months in 2001 to scout for talent to play for the Indian Under-16 and U-19 teams.
And he had a personal request for me to try and organise a training camp for the juniors ahead of the Asian Junior finals in Germany. And the way I am, I tried to help and the camp happened.
The first meeting
I along with my friend Chris Punnakkattu Daniel organised the training camp for the India Under-17 national team at the Sports School in Hennef, south of Cologne in August 2002.
A top class facility which is used by Bundesliga clubs and Argentina stayed there during the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Mangi was one of the 20 boys in the squad which came to Germany. A very nice boy, always spoke with respect to me, but sometimes a little shy.
I have to be honest (Sorry for this Mangi), he wasn't the most talented player in the squad; but someone who was always eager to learn more and develop further as a player.
In this squad Mangi was used as a defensive midfielder, mainly coming of the bench but by 2004 he had matured as a player and he went on to captain the India Under-20 squad.
The difficult times
After graduating from the Tata Football Academy in 2004 Mangi had a difficult time to make a name for himself in the Indian football circuit.
Mangi along with Habibur Rehman Mondal signed for Mohun Bagan AC that spring, but it turned out to be a circus as the players had unknowingly signed for the club. While Habibur was released to play for East Bengal, Mangi had to initially stay with Mohun Bagan before he went on loan to Dempo SC.
The next year he went to Mahindra United before signing for Sporting Clube de Goa in 2006. And it seemed another talent would go to waste with Mangi not getting any real chances to play for his clubs.
Then in the summer of 2006 Bob Houghton arrived in India and Mangi was drafted into the Olympic qualifier squad. Mangi was one of many boys that Bob gave a new lifeline.
He was transferred to Churchill Brothers SC in 2007 and he became a pillar for new coach Karim Bencharifa's young guns. And was a key player in last years I-League winning campaign.
Team India regular
Mangi first was a regular in the Under-23 squad for the 2006 Asian Games before Bob entrusted him to be a central defender in the senior national team.
Mangi became one of the key players in India's winning campaigns in the 2007 Nehru Cup, the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup and the 2009 Nehru Cup.
And as we look forward to the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, Mangi is set to play a crucial role at the heart of defensive against superior sides like South Korea, Australia and Bahrain.
All the best!
After the difficult start Mangi has achieved a lot in India. Now it is time to give it a try abroad. I prays for him that he makes it in Australia as it would not only be good for Mangi, but it could open the door to other Indian players to get offers from Down Under.
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