Belgian footballer Triman Ranvir turns back on Europe to play for India

A Belgian teenager left Brussels in tears to come to India on Sunday. His aim? To change his nationality and eventually play for the Indian football team. The collateral? Giving up on the chance to play European football forever.

Triman Ranvir, an 18-year-old forward who has been born and brought up in Belgium, is on the road less taken in turning his back on Europe to come to his country of origin.

"It's a difficult choice and has a lot of risk involved. I am the first person from the top 6-7 footballing countries in Europe to have taken such a step. I had tears in my eyes at the airport thinking that there would be no coming back to Belgium. But it is a great time to be part of Indian football, the potential for growth is immense. I want to be part of that growth and eventually play for the Indian team," Triman told The Bridge.

"At the Indian embassy in Belgium, they could not believe I wanted to change my nationality... They told me the process would be quicker if I did it from India," he said.

To get Indian citizenship by registration usually takes between three to seven years, but Triman is counting on his stint with the Minerva Punjab academy to help speed that process down to a few months.

"I succeeded in the trials with Minerva Punjab last season. Now my journey starts with them. I am hopeful of sealing a place in RoundGlass Punjab FC's squad in the ISL next season. Some other clubs have also approached me, but there has been no formal contact," he said.

Why Triman Ranvir's 'brave move' could change Indian football

Before he wades into the rigours of Indian football next season, Triman's aim for now is to adapt to Indian culture, climate and food; he had a bout of food poisoning soon after landing. But the biggest challenge - not being an Indian national - is now behind him.

"There's no going back from this," he said.

"India should change the rules (of overseas players playing for India) for the sake of the future. I have friends born and brought up in Belgium who play for the Morocco national team, the Albanian team and so on," said Triman.

READ | Why Triman Ranvir did not join Kerala Blasters

But his own route to playing for India was not as easy because India does not allow dual citizenship. Even if footballers are of Indian origin, they are needed to give up their existing nationality to play for the country, which has kept the likes of Michael Chopra twenty years ago to Omid Singh last year from donning Indian colours, even as Asian powerhouses like Qatar and China have opened their doors.

And this is why Minerva director Ranjit Bajaj feels Triman's 'brave move' could be a game-changer for Indian football. "This will open the doors to many foreign nationals to come be part of the Indian football revolution," he said.

Triman has played against some of the top clubs in the world at age-group levels like Ajax, Sevilla, Bayern Munich B, Fluminese. He has played friendly matches against several first-division clubs from Netherlands, Belgium and Finland. One of the highlights of his career has been to play for AFC Tubize, currently a fourth-division club, which is best known for producing the Hazard brothers - Eden, Thorgan and Kylian.

But for all the razzmatazz of European football, Triman will have no problems feeling at home here even though he has been to India only twice before. Fluent in Hindi and Punjabi, he echoes Romelu Lukaku on what it is like to be a Belgian footballer.

"In India I am always an Indian but in Belgium I am not always a Belgian. Lukaku said, 'When I play good I am a Belgian and when I don’t play well I am a Congolese.'... The passion for football is much more in India," he said.

In 2023, we now have a first-of-its-kind test — can a 'European footballer' break through into India's national team?