BENGALURU: “A man from India to play for Lyon!” This was the first reaction of the French football fans when Vikash Dhorasoo turned out for the Ligue 1 club in 1998. But the struggles of a Indo-Mauritius origin player from Le Havre, a working class neighbourhood, didn't stop him from chasing his dreams as he went on to win the runners-up medal in the 2006 World Cup.
“I was the first Indian-origin footballer to play for France. I'm proud of that. I would like to be the bridge between France and India to help India make progress in football,” Dhorasoo said here on Tuesday. “I think Indian players can do well in Europe. They don't know much about India except for Bollywood movies and Goa.”