Once a regular at the Kolkata maidan, Danny Muinao looks lost among the north-east players preparing for the Tham Chong Memorial Trophy starting late October. Now a Simla Youngs player, and currently playing an unofficial coach for Wung United by shortlisting the team for the tournament, Danny is wary of drifting further away. Mohammedan Sporting, Churchill Brothers, BEML (Bangalore) and Simla Youngs, the graph has gone only downwards.

Indecision involving continuing professional football and a job offer was the first blip for Muinao. “I left Mohammedan Sporting and joined Churchill Brothers for a better offer. But from the next year, a sense of insecurity crept up and the offer from BEML mentioned a job after a year. It was exactly what I was hoping for and my family members staying in Bangalore made it more luring,” Danny said, adding, “But after spending a year they told me to wait for another year. It was getting too difficult for me and I left BEML after playing for George Telegraph on loan for three months.”

Danny doesn’t regret those days anymore, he rather looks back at the little bit of stardom he managed for himself. He recollects his time with two big clubs which were no less challenging. The midfielder was a part of the first XIs that punched above their weight to make a comeback to the national league’s elite. “With both Mohammedan Sporting and Churchill Brothers I had my task cut out. Both were demoted to the second division when I was playing and the way we lifted our game and qualified for the I-League, made us a bunch of heroes,” the 28-year-old said.

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