Captain's armband is an honour: Shillong Lajong's Lalmuanpuia

At an age when most people are finding their feet in an adult world, 19-year-old Samuel Lalmuanpuia's shoulders carry the weight of being club captain of Shillong Lajong FC in the I-League 2017-18.

While others might have wilted under pressure, Lalmuanpuia finds it as 'an honour to lead the club'.

"I am happy that the coaches selected me and have the faith in me to lead the team. It is an honour to lead the club."

It has been a season of starts and stops for Shillong. They started on a victorious note with two wins on the trot, but some unfavourable results resulted in them lying mid-table.

"We have performed well so far but we need to give a much better performance in the remaining matches as the league is getting very competitive."

"Our aim is to collect maximum points from every game but for that, we need to work harder and convert our chances into goals", stated the attacking midfielder.

With a few matches still to go, Lajong would surely like to finish higher up the table. Stating their aim for the rest of season Samuel's team is on the lookout for goals, "Goals will help us win games and ultimately we can climb up in the points table. At the moment we are taking one game at a time but we definitely want to end the season on a high and at the top."

Apart from the being the captain at such a young age, Samuel's freekicks have also caught attention, "From the time I joined the Lajong Academy, I have been practising a lot under the coaches and I am continuing to do the same. So with practice and hard work, I feel I have become better at taking free kicks", quipped the youngster.

"I would like to see myself being the best Footballer in the country", as he concluded.