Me playing for FCB Allstars, A dream come true!

I still can't believe it, but on Wednesday night I did play at the Saltlake Stadium for the FC Bayern Munich Allstars against the East Bengal Allstars. It was a dream come true for me!

German giants Bayern Munich has been the club that I have supported since I was a small child and East Bengal is the club our family supports due to our roots. Their Allstar teams faced each other and I played in this game or rather was allowed to play a small part in the game. I simply couldn't have asked for more...

But how did it all come about? At lunch on Wednesday before the match I was speaking to the cameraman of FCB.tv and one of the players about the dream of having the chance to play for FC Bayern only once in my life. This was heard by FCB Allstar coach Wolfgang Dremmler and Wolfgang was quite happy the way I had integrated into the team and had professionally done my job. Wolfgang asked me to come over and asked me if I was serious with playing a few minutes and I said yes, I just wanted to play two minutes. Wolfgang said if the result and match performance allowed him to do so then I could come on. So I should be on the bench along with the others all dressed up and ready.

Honestly I was over the moon. I never ever thought that this day would come where I would play for FC Bayern Munich. And what was an even bigger highlight was the fact that I would play with World Cup winners and experienced professionals, some who had been heroes for me as a young kid back home in Germany.

Like the rest of the team I was there for the team meeting at 3 pm. And as Wolfgang Dremmler went through a number of things, tactics, etc he mentioned that I myself and Sven Bieler, the Adidas contact person who had come with the team from Germany, would both get a chance to sit on the bench and if the match allowed, we would come on. It was great to see that none of these experienced pros asked why the two of us were suddenly part of the playing squad, but welcomed us openly to the team.

The tension was rising as I got my playing kit and had to do my final work ahead of the teams departure to the Saltlake Stadium. The word had gotten out that I would play and I also told some friends around, so they wished me all the best. One could most probably see that I was over the moon...

I have travelled from hotels to the Saltlake Stadium on a team bus on a number of occasions, but never ever as a player so it was different on this day. I arrived with the team and entered the ground shaking many hands whom I have known now for many many years, but it was feeling somewhat different today...

We walked out onto the field to have a first look and feel of the artificial turf before we dressed up for the game. Realising that I don't have a training shirt and none available any more, I wore a training jacket and some did look surprised in seeing me on the field rather then besides it as I continued to shake many hands besides the field, amongst them Bijen Singh & Naoba Singh whom I have known for years and they me too, but never on the field. It was a great feeling.

We went back into the dressing room for a final team meeting and all got into the match jersey's before coming out again to line-up with the East Bengal Allstars. And this was the longest procedure of the day as both sides lined-up, everyone was introduced and important people had to speak, while we all only wanted to play football.

The match kicked-off, FCB Allstars showed their supremacy from the start and by halftime the Germans were leading 4-1, not really playing at full steam and gifting East Bengal a number of chances, but they only could score from one of them. I was on the bench and really as tense as it can get. I am normally quite cool, even in difficult situations but this was as big as my football career could get. At half time Wolfgang Dremmler came to me and said that he would bring me on for Paul Breitner, a legend in German football and a great guy, in the second session. Even more pressure for me...

After the break our German bench was getting bigger and bigger with our friends from Audi and the Lufthansa crew joining us, while for Sven and myself the time was coming closer and closer for us to come onto the pitch. Sven would come on first, then I was asked to get ready and finally I came on for Paul Breitner. Both Wolfgang and Paul simply said, enjoy yourself and don't worry about anything. My specs were off, but while concentrating on coming on I didn't realize that Bayern had just scored a goal so I sprinted into the East Bengal half only to walk back for the kickoff. A little unwanted comedy for my part.

I was told to play in the midfield in the centre of a 4-2-3-1 formation, but then as a left footer moved onto the left wing position before joining Carsten Lakies upfront as a striker. I was back in my usual position and I did get some contacts to the ball and in one situation I felt I deserved a penalty as the East Bengal keeper came out charging with his feet high as I intended to go for a header, but sadly no penalty was given. The match ended with a 10-3 win for the FCB Allstars, numerous East Bengal Allstars wanted to exchange jersey with me not knowing who I was, sadly as otherwise they would have known that I wanted to keep this prize possession to myself. But it wouldn't be as in the end I exchanged jersey's with Monojit Das and we went on to the prize distribution.

I changed in-between once more to be ready for my work thereafter and we went for the press conference with Paul Breitner and Martin Haegele. Paul as he had done over those two days answered all questions and we walked back to the dressing room and then came back an old reminder. A power failure at the Saltlake Stadium. We three were nearly in the dressing room, but also nearly banged out heads before seeing the large police contingent infront of our dressing room and after banging on the door were allowed in with the fcb.tv camera giving us all light. The lights came on again and we went back to the bus to get back to the hotel.

Some journalists did ask me how it was and I did give some small tv interviews, but that all didn't matter to me. I was still overawed by the occasion as every kept asking me, how was it. I only said great! A day which I will never forget, November 17, 2010 in Kolkata. A day to remember...

And I wanted to thank Wolfgang Dremmler and the whole team for such a memorable experience. It was great to be part of FCB Allstars and hopefully as I told them, I can be part of the team again in the future...


Follow me on my Facebook Fanpage: Arunava Chaudhuri Fanpage

Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Arunfoot

Follow me on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/arunavaaboutfootball