Six Indian players have been selected for the National Football League (NFL) training camp to be held in the USA.
Raju Vasudev Haldankar, a Goan footballer, who had never taken flown in an airplane in his life, will now have a chance to take a dream flight to the United States.
The 22-year-old, who came to Sesa Football Academy and played for Salgaocar, now turns out for a club in Calangute, where football is a way of life. He emerged as the big winner in the National Finals of the "Million Dollar Kick" Season 1, and will now proceed to the US for training and hopefully a career in NFL as a kicker.
The Grand Finals of the "Million Dollar Kick India - Season 1" was the culmination of City Try Outs in Delhi, Goa, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Shillong, Dehradun and Lucknow.
Apart from a trip to US for training and a chance to make in to the big league, Haldankar also received a prize money of 5,000 dollars (equivalent of just over Rs. 3.3 lakhs) besides gifts from Oakley eyewear and Jio phones.
Haldankar won the National Finals at the Siri Fort Sports Complex, where it all began a month ago, with a neat 55-yard kick. The first and second runner-up were Dylan D'Costa, who was earlier a wildcard from South Goa Try Out, and Gnanendrasinh Jhala, winner of the Ahmedabad Try Out.
Representing a diverse background, Haldankar is a regular footballer with a local club; Gnanendrasinh Jhala, 30, works at the AG Office in Rajkot and Dylan D'Costa is a 17-year-old student in Goa and keen football player.
Apart from the three winners, the organisers of the "MDK - Season 1" in India, also picked three other 'potential stars'.
They are another Goan, Elton Godinho, also a 'wildcard' in Goa Try Outs, Gorakhpur's Mukesh Singh, winner of Lucknow Try Out, and the phenomenally talented Arshad Khan, a Lucknow goalkeeper, who won the first Try Out in Delhi.
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