While some Liberians playing professional football in foreign countries may not have the opportunity of playing in prestigious leagues, they continue to make names for themselves.
Less than two years after Liberian duo Alvin Dixon and Jerome Doe recorded their names in the history books of Liberian football by winning the Lao Premier League, Indian-based Liberian midfielder Alfred Jaryan added his name on Sunday, April 30 when he won the Hero India I League, the top tier of Indian football.
From the 18 total matches played during the 2017 I League season, the former LPRC Oilers midfield engineer made 17 appearances to help the Aizawl Football Club win its first India I-League title.
Aizaawl’s title was confirmed in the final round of matches with a hard fought 1-1 draw away at Shillong Lajong Football Club that finished fifth on a team table. The draw helped Aizawl finish the league with 37 points, one more than second-placed Mohun Began Athletics Club.
In 18 matches played, Jaryan’s Aizawl was able to win 11, draw four and only lost three.
The Liberian midfielder described his title-winning moment as one of the best in his career. In an interview with The Bush Chicken, he said winning the league comes as a motivation to seek greater challenges.
“Certainly, today is a very special day in my life, especially my football career. It wasn’t an easy thing but I’m glad that my team was successful. Now, as an individual, I need to work more to achieve [bigger] things,†Jaryan said.
Jaryan becomes the second Liberian to win the India I-League behind former Liberian international Johnny Menyongar. Menyongar won the league with Bengaluru in 2014 before resigning from professional football in 2015.
Featured photo courtesy of Alfred Jaryan
