Rahim Ali wanted to be a cricketer. But hailing from a family which struggled financially, his dreams underwent a change at a very young age.
But fueled by the dream to become a top athlete, he would accompany his elder brother Akbar Ali to practice with the East Bengal U14 side.
"Cricket is an expensive game. It requires a lot of money to buy kits and all. Then you have to wait for the ball to be hit towards you while you are fielding. Hence, even though I liked cricket, I managed to make myself understand that at the end of the day football is more interesting," revealed Ali to Goal.