India Keeper Subrata Pal set for German trial at RB Leipzig

25 year old Indian international goalkeeper Subrata Pal is set for a trial with German fourth Division (Regionalliga Nordost) club RB Leipzig, who are owned by Austrian energy drink-maker Red Bull whose Indian division has been made the trial possible.

Subrata Pal after a season of injury this summer made a move back to Kolkata from Pune FC to join high spending Prayag United SC for a salary estimated to be above Rs 1 crore (10 Million), but Subrata has always had the ambition to try to play abroad. Now he gets a second chance after a trial with now MLS club Vancouver Whitecaps in June 2010.

The Leipzig trial has been made possible by Red Bull India and once Subrata has his German visa, he will fly across with Friday/Saturday the most likely dates of travel. An original three week trial had to be cut down due to commitments back home. Subrata has got the clearance from Prayag United for the trial while the AIFF would have to clear his late arrival at the India camp for the Nehru Cup due to a longer stay in Germany until August 4/5.

More infos will be released by Red Bull India and Subrata Pal at a press conference on Thursday in Kolkata before Subrata flies across to Germany for the trial-cum-training stint.

RB Leipzig with the RB not standing for Red Bull but RasenBallsport Leipzig due to German football rules which do not allow the name of sponsors to be attached to the club name was only formed in 2009 through the takeover of SSV Markranstädt, a local club in Leipzig who were playing in the fifth division at the time. Red Bull took over the club with the aim of getting it into the top tier Bundesliga in a nine year period until 2018 with an initial investment of 100 Million Euros.

After two failed attempts to gain promotion from the fourth division this season RB Leipzig hope to achieve promotion to the 3.Liga on their way to the Bundesliga. And this will happen under new coach Andreas Zorniger with some new players signed to achieve the goal and interesting Leipzig on arrival of Zorniger fired goalkeeper Pascal Borel.

This is an article I had written two years back in June 2010 on my blog: Knowing Subrata Pal .