On Thursday, October 26, Parthib Gogoi will play for NorthEast United FC against Jamshedpur FC.
Parthib Gogoi is one of India’s brightest young strikers right now, having had a breakout 2023/24 Indian Super League season. The 20-year-old has three goals in three games for NorthEast United FC, already matching his season total.
In an episode of In The Stands – Parthib Gogoi on JioCinema, Gogoi talked about his journey, the role his father played in it, his on-field relationship with his brother, and his football aspirations.
Despite not having a smartphone, Gogoi’s father fueled his passion for football by going out of his way to show him clips of Messi and Ronaldo.
“My father didn’t have a smartphone so he used to bring us clips. I didn’t even know smartphones existed. He used to bring his Nokia phone to show me videos of Messi and Ronaldo. Dad also enjoyed playing football, so he wanted to show me how these players play. I was very young and he started showing me all of this.”
Parthib is teammates with his elder brother Pragyan, and he tells a story of the last time they fought. “We were playing against East Bengal. I was on the right and I got the ball. He was not marked and asked for a pass, but I didn’t hear him because of the noise from the fans. I shot the ball and then I saw him, he was fuming. I knew he was going to give me an earful when we went back home.”
Gogoi is hoping for a chance to play for the Indian senior team after a great start to the season. “Since I was young, I’ve been telling my brother I want to play for India. I have played across all the youth age groups and now I have two aims. The first is to make it to the playoffs with NE United and the other is to be called up to the senior team.”
One of his motives for playing for India is the opportunity to play with his idol, Sunil Chhetri. “It’s simple. I want to play alongside Chhetri bhai (brother) at least once. I have never met him but I’ve played against him twice. One was the I-League Stars vs the national team and then, a game against Bangalore FC. He’s a massive inspiration for us to keep going.”
