When S. Rajesh nodded in the winning goal in the 73rd minute for Railways against Maharashtra in the Santosh Trophy Group B match at the Golden Jubilee stadium in Yupia, he became the fifth-highest scorer in the history of the tournament.
Rajesh came on to the field as Super Sub in the 63rd minute and his goal helped Railways enter the quarterfinals. The goal was Rajesh’s 29th in the National Championship and he went past P.K. Banerjee who had scored 28 goals while playing for Bengal and Railways.
The 31-year-old Rajesh, made his Santosh Trophy debut in 2012 and has represented Karnataka, Kerala and Railways in the premier championships.
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He is the only active player in the top five list of Santosh Trophy goal-scorers. The legendary Inder Singh heads the list with 45 goals followed by Mohammed Akbar (34), Mohammed Habib (33) and Shyam Thapa (31).
“I knew about the record but what gave me more satisfaction was that the goal helped Railways to qualify for the quarterfinals which was a big achievement as we were taking part in the final round after a gap of nearly six years,’‘ said Rajesh.
Rajesh first made his mark in the 2013 Santosh Trophy in Kollam in which he scored eight goals and helped Karnataka reach the quarterfinals. The performance helped him to land a job with the Railways.
Hailing from Pozhiyoor, a fishing hamlet near the border of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, Rajesh went to the sea with his father and brother, who were fishermen, when he was seven.
However, his father Soosainayagam was adamant that his younger son, Rajesh shouldn’t become a fisherman and send him to school. “I was poor in studies and was more interested in football,’‘ he said.
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The Vision India project which was launched in Pozhiyoor in 2006 changed his life as he became one of the early trainees of the scheme. Cleofas Alex, who was the coach attached to the project, saw a spark in him and encouraged him. “He always had the knack of scoring goals. He was strong and had a good sense of positioning,’‘ said Cleofas.
The Covid-infused break and Railways’ continued absence from National championships held back a promising career. His confidence is now back and he nurtures dreams of playing for the country and scoring more goals in Santosh Trophy.
“I am grateful to the people who helped me in my career, Cleofas sir, John Bosco sir, my SSE Sridar sir. Without them I wouldn’t have achieved this feat,’‘ said Rajesh who idolises Sunil Chettri and Lionel Messi.
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