Indian football has no shortage of players trying to make a career out of the game. What it often lacks is a clear pathway for them to get there.

For every youngster who breaks into the senior team, many others are left waiting for an opportunity, moving between academies, reserve sides and clubs in the hope that someone will take a chance on them.Mohammed Azhar knows that wait. Born in Lakshadweep and raised in Kochi, he is now a central figure in SC Delhi’s ISL campaign.

His route to the top flight took him through the Kerala Blasters academy, a difficult spell with injuries and an unexpected opportunity to train in Poland. There were times when progress stalled, but he kept going.

Special Arrangement His role at SC Delhi marks a significant change. The midfielder is now a regular part of Tomasz Tchórz’s plans, a far cry from the early years when he was trying to break out of the reserve set-up.

Azhar and his brother Aimen also took a chance of their own when they left Kerala Blasters for SC Delhi, a relatively new project in the capital that was still building its identity.The club, in turn, backed two young Indian players with room to grow. Under Tchórz, SC Delhi have shown a willingness to give youngsters meaningful roles rather than wait for them to arrive as finished products.

Azhar has made the most of that faith, though he knows establishing himself in the ISL is only the beginning. “I am very proud because, from a young age, I dreamed of playing in the ISL. Now that dream has come true, and it is a proud moment for me and my family.”“I am happy and proud, but it also brings responsibility.

I wouldn’t call it pressure exactly, but I know I have to maintain my rhythm and perform every day.” Aimen & Azhar join the Red Brigade! Do Bhai.

Dono Tabahi. . #SportingClubDelhi #SCDelhi #AbDillikiBaari #Aimen #Azhar { Sporting Club Delhi, Aimen, Azhar } https://t.co/T6eiBT9fhJ— Sporting Club Delhi (@OfficialSCDelhi) January 28, 2026THE PEOPLE WHO KEPT HIM GOINGAt Kerala Blasters, Azhar and Aimen came through the academy together before moving into the reserve set-up. They hoped their performances in the Reliance Foundation Development League would earn them a first-team opportunity, but the call-up did not arrive when they expected.

Watching other youngsters move to bigger clubs while they waited was difficult, particularly when playing for the senior side had been a childhood dream. Azhar and Aimen left Kerala Blasters and shifted bases to New Delhi. (Courtesy: Kerala Blasters) Azhar, however, is careful not to look back at that period with resentment.

He remains grateful to Kerala Blasters for giving the brothers their start and supporting their development.“For a boy from Kerala, Kerala Blasters means everything. I have said in interviews that without Kerala Blasters, we would have nothing.

They helped us a lot and were always there for us.”Injuries further disrupted his progress. One season, he struggled to get on the pitch regularly, a frustrating experience given the expectations around him in Kerala.

When he later found himself out of the starting XI, he questioned his own performances and decided to work harder rather than dwell on selection.His parents helped him through those spells. They never made football a source of pressure, even when progress was slow and the brothers grew frustrated with the wait.“I am really proud to have them as my parents.

They never put unnecessary pressure on us. Instead, they enjoyed watching our journey and seeing how we played and enjoyed the game.”Aimen was another constant.

The brothers speak every day, discuss football on and off the pitch and know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. They are quick to point out mistakes and push each other to improve.BECOMING A MIDFIELDER, A ROAD LESS TAKENAzhar’s choice of position was one of his earliest decisions.

Coaches had suggested he play as a striker, but he wanted to operate in midfield, where he could influence the game at both ends. Xavi Hernandez was a major influence, while Joshua Kimmich and Thiago Alcntara remain players he studies for their technique, discipline and understanding of the game.“I wanted to prove that midfielders can also become stars.”That ambition has shaped the way he sees his role at SC Delhi.

Tchórz expects him to help the team through difficult phases, link defence with attack, find the forwards and contribute without the ball. It is a demanding brief, but one Azhar wants to embrace.He is not content with simply holding down a place.

His focus is on becoming more influential across the 90 minutes, and he approaches training with that in mind.“I always tell myself that every training session and every match could be my last. Even during the warm-up, I try to give everything.”“Whatever you do in training eventually comes out in a match.

So I always tell myself to push, push and push. I just want to give my best every time.”THE POLAND TRIP THAT CHANGED HIS VIEWA major turning point came through an opportunity Azhar had not expected.

Tchórz, who had worked with the brothers in the Kerala Blasters reserve set-up, offered to help them experience football in Poland. The coach had a contact there and believed the trip could broaden their understanding of the game.Azhar and Aimen had spoken about playing in Europe long before the offer came.

They had known Tchórz for only a short time when he raised the possibility of arranging trials. With the help of the coach and sporting director Carro, the brothers travelled to Poland and trained alongside players at Raków Czestochowa, including members of the first team.

The three-week stint came in November 2022.The experience exposed them to a different standard of training and competition. For Azhar, it was a reality check as much as an opportunity.“If we hadn’t gone there, perhaps our level would have remained the same.

But that experience made us realise how much more we needed to work, and eventually, we earned our first-team call-ups.” The brothers grew up as Manchester United fans. Tchórz’s decision to arrange the opportunity reflected his wider belief that young Indian players need the right environment to develop.

He has maintained that age alone should not determine a player’s value, but that talent needs a platform to flourish.“For me, the most important thing is obviously the quality of the player. I’m not necessarily going for a player just because he is young, but I see that, especially in India, there are a lot of young players with quality.”“I think talent needs a platform if you want it to grow, and we understand that we have to provide that platform.”The trip did not transform Azhar overnight, but it gave him a clearer idea of the level he wanted to reach.

Back in India, he and Aimen worked harder and eventually earned their first-team call-ups at Kerala Blasters.THE GAP IS STILL THEREWhat stayed with Azhar from Poland was not just the quality of football, but the facilities available to young players. He recalls youth teams training on pitches and using facilities comparable to those of the senior side.

In India, he found a stark difference between the environments available to first-team and youth players, with some training grounds not even safe.He believes that standard should be consistent throughout a club, so that promotion to the senior team does not mean adapting to an entirely different environment.“I feel the facilities should be at the same level for the first team, reserve team, youth teams and even the under-age teams. That way, players can experience the same standards throughout their development.

When you move up to the first team, you won’t feel like you are entering a completely different environment or suddenly facing a much higher level of pressure because of the change in facilities.”The other gap, he feels, is the number of competitive matches young players get. Much of his early experience came through friendly games, with the Reliance Foundation Development League among the few competitions offering a regular test.“We need more matches because training alone is not enough.

When you play games, you understand your mistakes and realise what you need to improve. That is how you develop as a player.”Azhar has experienced the difference that the right opportunity can make.

His next targets are bigger. He wants to play for India and still dreams of making a career in Europe.Asked what he would tell his younger self, he keeps the answer simple.“I would say thank you.

If I had given up, I wouldn’t be here today.”- Ends