Get the Tendulkar factor in Kochi footballer Duleep Menon
Duleep Menon was a little-known footballer, till Sachin Tendulkar picked him for his ISL team. But the 27-year-old is keeping his feet on the ground.

The 27-year-old from Kochi lets his guard down talking about how he wants to do nothing but be associated with football all his life.
Stepping Stones
I have lived in Kochi for a while now. My father is a doctor and my mother an engineer. I am an electronics engineer myself. My interest in football began with the game FIFA 98 by EA Sports, which was gifted by my uncle. I started emulating all the things that I did with the keyboard in real life. Among my favourite players are Zinedine Zidane and Diego Maradona.
Sachin the mentor
Being recommended by Sachin Tendulkar was unexpected. I was overwhelmed and couldn't stop grinning. When I joined the team Sachin said I must keep trying and not give up on my dreams. That is something I will never forget.
(In photo: Duleep Menon with Sachin Tendulkar)
English Experience
I played professional football in Kerala before moving to England for three years in 2010. It changed my game entirely. Be it physicality, tackling, passing or movement — my attitude towards the game changed playing for Salford City FC and other clubs there.
Handling sudden spotlight
One thing I have learnt playing football is that there is no need for a player to hope for extremely good things to happen. I have always hoped for the best and prepared for the worst.
Off the pitch
I enjoy watching movies and listening to progressive hip-hop and trance music. Mohanlal, Shobhana and Leonardo DiCaprio are my favourite actors. I am an engineer just on paper. I don't know anything about it and am far from being a tech geek. I use a Xiaomi MI3 phone that I quite enjoy. The specifications are fantastic at a fraction of a price of a Samsung or an Apple.
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