From car painter to ISL star – the rise of Arata Izumi

Born to a Gujarati father and a Japanese mother, Izumi was blessed with diverse roots, and he has embraced both with a passion we strive for.

Sports filled up a lot of the void that was created in his life at that point, and his love story with football started at the age of nine. As a kid, Izumi had more interest in baseball and swimming. It was his brother who introduced him to football. He would casually accompany his brother for his practice sessions. During one of those visits, he hit the ball during a shooting practice and there was no turning back.

In footballing terms, Izumi was a bit of a late bloomer and it was not until he was a 23-year-old that he started to play professionally. Izumi started playing at the Japan Soccer College, which is affiliated to Albirex Niigata, one of the most well-supported clubs in Japan. He then signed for Albirex Niigata Singapore, also a satellite team of the Japanese club, in the Singaporean professional league (S.League). It did not take long for the Japanese midfielder to win over the fans in the new country. His explosive pace, with and without the ball, along with his brilliant ball control saw being labeled as the fastest player in the S.League in 2005.

Izumi still cherishes the memory of his first professional goal. A delightful control to trap a cross from the right wing, before chipping the Tampinens Rovers FC goalkeeper to find the back of the net.

His day started at 5 am, after which he would work for 12 hours till 6 PM in the factory. Then he would practice football for two hours with his teammates. This schedule, along with traveling for matches, continued for eight long months and Izumi survived on nothing more than hope and determination.

It would perhaps have been easier for him to give up his dream and work permanently at Mitsubishi, but he refused to do so. His talent and success on the pitch did not go unnoticed, and before long he received an offer from East Bengal, and with it the chance to explore the motherland of his father.

The most difficult part was to leave my secure environment for an offer to play in India in 2006. Born to a Japanese mother and an Indian father, I think I was instinctively driven to the mystical land, India,” Izumi told Sportskeeda.

Later, Izumi accepted that the passion for the big 'Kolkata derby' was one of the reasons which drew him to the nation.

Initially I didn't know anything about Indian football, and also doubted him. But slowly I started to get information about Indian football.

Then I realised there's a lot of history. Clubs like Mohun Bagan and East Bengal are more than 100 years old. And more than one lakh people watch the Kolkata derby every year. I realised there was a lot of passion for football. These things made me think about shifting to India,” he was quoted as saying by Rediff.

The warm welcome, love and attention showered on him by the football-crazy East Bengal fans since the moment he stepped out of the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, was overwhelming. Izumi was not accustomed to such receptions, but that warmth did help him settle down at the club.

"I started my career in Singapore before moving to Japan, but India is a different place for foreigners. Attention-wise you get so much more here while I was 'just another player' in Japan," Izumi told Firstpost in an interview in 2013.

"Obviously I care about money! It's also about getting a chance. People ask me why I don't go abroad and play... but there has to be an opportunity right?" Izumi added.

The midfielder racked up 10 assists and 1 goal for East Bengal in the 2006-07 season. The experience of playing in front of 90,000 fans in the derby match against Mohun Bagan was one he would tell his grand-kids about.

Unfortunately, he picked up an injury at the start of the season and was sidelined for almost six months. It was the first time he had been out of the game for a such a time period.

But as always, he turned adversity into opportunity. He used the six months to get a better understanding of his body and its limits and emerged a more complete footballer. By the end of the season, Izumi had propelled Mahindra United to success in the Mumbai league and the Durand Cup.

By the end of 2010, Izumi had tallied 10 goals and 10 assists in 26 matches for the club. He quickly became the fan favorite and was the highest scoring midfielder in the league and helped Pune finish 3rd - an impressive achievement for a newly promoted club. Pune FC awarded him with the 'Man of Steel' honor, along with a new contract in 2012.

His stint at Pune FC also gave him two unforgettable gifts – the opportunity to play for India, and the love of life Sweta Manerikar.

While playing for Pune, Izumi fell in love with Sweta, the club's physio at that time. They were engaged in Japan and later got married in Pune in 2010 - the romantic tale of a man who came in search of his father's roots in India through the sport he loves, found the love of his life and eventually his new roots. He, however, regrets not being able to make it to his home country's national team.

“Playing for his country is a dream for any footballer. So, obviously, there is some regret. I was born in Japan and started playing football there. Having become a professional footballer I was dreaming to play for Japan, but, in reality, there was no chance for me. Or, maybe, I missed the chance. With my age – right now I am 30 years old – to get into the national team of Japan is almost impossible,” a humble Izumi told Rediff in 2013.

“The process was really tough. First of all, there hadn't been a case of a Japanese taking up Indian citizenship. So no one knew how to start with. Literally, we met more than 10 lawyers to get all the information and it took more than a year. Then I came to know under which section I could apply. That was followed by a lot of documentation. My wife (a physiotherapist) sacrificed her career to get all of this done. I don't know how to appreciate her effort,” Izumi added.

Eventually, after a lot of hustle, Izumi got his citizenship and with it, the chance to play for the Indian national team. Indian coach Wim Koevermans selected him in the 23-man squad which would play a friendly against Palestine in February, 2012. When asked about who broke him this news, the reply was unexpected.

Izumi has gone on to make nine more appearances for the national team.

He featured in the 10-man list of Indian players who went up in auction for ISL 2015 and was bought for Rs 68 Lakh by defending champions Atletico de Kolkata.

His run in the starting line-up, however, was halted due to an injury. But, he returned to grab the headlines in some style. Kolkata were tied at 1-1 with Kerala Blasters in Kochi and Habas decided to bring on Izumi in place of Jaime Gavilan. The midfielder went on to score two goals, including a 90th minute winner as the match ended 3-2 in favour of the visitors. That proved to be a turning point in Atletico's season as they went on a five-match unbeaten run, to secure their place in the semis.

Despite playing just nine games so far, due to injuries, Izumi is the second highest goalscorer for his club this season (5). Although he faces an uncertain future following Pune FC's decision to close down their first team operation, Izumi's ISL performance is enough to attract a lot of suitors from other I-League clubs.