When Gokulam Kerala announced their entry into the I-League in 2017, the then head coach Bino George, in one of his first conversations with Goal, had confidently stated that the club's target is to represent the country in an AFC competition. Four years later, they have done it.
Kerala had been looking for a league trophy for years. The state has produced numerous wonderful football talents over the years, including the likes of IM Vijayan and Jo Paul Ancheri. But even their famous Kerala Police team of the 90s fell short of winning the ultimate prize at the end of campaigns.