After 11 seasons as a professional, 13 international caps and more than 100 games in club football, Anas Edathodika will finally play his first season for a Kerala club. It's a moment he has long waited for. "From the time Kerala Blasters was born, I wanted to play for them," he says. It's also a bittersweet occasion: Kerala is still reeling from the impact of August's devastating floods that left almost 500 people dead and forced at least a million to leave their homes.
Still, it's an opportunity for Anas to do something for his home state because he knows -- he is certain -- that every successful tackle he makes will bring some cheer, some comfort to his fans.