While height is an asset in most sports, in some it’s seen as a stumbling block to speed. Taller players are suspected to be sluggish, incapable of covering ground in quick time.
Abdul Hakku Nediyodath stands six feet tall but rarely gives anything away when on defending duties. Fast on his feet, he’s equally swift to intercept the high ball. Little wonder that he caught the eye of talent scouts during the Indian Soccer League (ISL) draft and was promptly picked up by NorthEast United.
Hailing from Vaniyannur village in Kerala’s Malappuram district, a happy hunting ground for soccer, Hakku set out in the sport as a striker when 14 years old. Selected for the Sports Academy, Tirur (SAT), the wiry lad switched to defence on the advice of Manager Moideen Kutty, a former district player.
On an outing with the side to Maharashtra, he impressed DSK Shivajians who fielded him against mighty East Bengal. Despite an early yellow card, Hakku hung on till the end in a 1-0 defeat. “It was great to play before a crowded gathering,” he said of the high-voltage encounter at the Barasat District Sports Stadium in Kolkata.
That he was made to last the distance became evident when he represented Maharashtra in the Santosh Trophy and reach the 2014 season semifinals too. Not averse to venturing forward, Hakku’s header for Shivajians was thwarted at the goal-line by a BSF, Jalandhar defender in the SBT-G.V. Raja all India tournament at Thiruvananthapuram.
On loan to Fateh Hyderabad, Hakku made the most of the 15 appearances he was offered. Combining well with Fateh skipper Gurtej Singh, he successfully stood in the way of Nigerian striker Ejiogu Chinedu Emmanuel of Neroca FC. That the game went goalless was testimony to the stopper-back’s effective tackling.
Even in a physically demanding position, Hakku has gone injury free in a nearly decade-long career, which he attributes to fitness more than anything else. Keeping tabs on Nigerian hitman Odafa Onyeka Okolie of Southern Samity has been the Keralite’s biggest challenge.
To emulate his Malappuram compatriot Anas Edathodika and play for India is Hakku’s dream. “It was a privilege to be part of the Shivajian camp with Edathodika,” recalled the youngster. Towards that goal he hopes to join a NorthEast United camp that the Highlanders have planned in Europe in October.
