Shillong:
Meghalaya boys Federick Kupar Kurbah and Dominot Lyngkhoi rose to the occasion at the second season of United We Play trials held at Polo Ground in Shillong.
The two have confirmed their selection for the final round to be held in Chennai on April 24, Sunday, in the presence of Manchester United legends – Peter Schmeichel, Nemanja Vidic, Mikael Silvestre, Louis Saha, Quinton Fortune, Wes Brown and Ronny Johnsen.Kurbah and Lyngkhoi of Meghalaya shine in the second season of Apollo Tyres and Manchester United’s United We Play trials The final round of selections of United We Play 2.0 will be held on April 24 in the presence of seven Manchester United Legends. The trials have been organised by leading tyre maker Apollo Tyres in association with Manchester United across 19 venues in India, in a hybrid format comprising 10 virtual workshops and Masterclasses across 12 markets, and an on-ground leg across 8 markets in two phases, covering more than aspiring players. The two will participate in the final round of selections which will be held on April 24 in Chennai.
The winners who will be selected finally will be given a once in a lifetime opportunity to visit Old Trafford to participate in exciting activities like a matchday experience, training session with Manchester United Soccer School coaches, and legend interactions.
16-year-old Kurbah comes from a humble family background with his single mother raising four children. He started playing football at a very tender age with his friends from the neighbourhood.
His grandmother and uncle, both football fanatics, were impressed by the early signs and the idea of making it a career option took shape. Kurbah, a massive Neymar fan, started training under his school coach when he was in class 6. After three years of dedicating his life to football and partly academies, the pandemic hit and somehow derailed the orientation. He however never gave up and continued with his training at home, imitating various techniques from online videos of his favourite Brazilian.Delighted after passing the initial round of the United We Play trials, he said: “I am extremely thankful to United We Play for giving me this platform. My mother learned about the trials from the colleagues at work and she knew I have been waiting for an opportunity like this to showcase my skills and passion for the sport.
“I want to see my family proud and make all the sacrifices that my mother has been making worthwhile. Now I am preparing for the final round”, he said.