Mariano Pascual could have been a football player, a very good one at that. But the Argentinian turned away the sport which each and everyone of his fellow countryman loves, as he found his true passion in the game of Kabaddi. A highly unlikely tale, which sounds too good to be true. But Pascual has himself admitted that he could not help but fall in love with the game of Kabaddi.
Pascual in his youth days, played for three Argentinian clubs. The biggest of them all was Argentinian Primera Division outfit Club Atletico Sarmiento. He also played for Argentinos Juniors, the club where Diego Maradona made his debut. While playing football, he found the game of Kabaddi by chance and immediately fell in love with it.
Pascual said, “Argentina coach Ricardo Acuna was holding a clinic demonstrating alternate sports like kabaddi two months ago. That’s where I first learnt about the sport.”
He learned the sport of Kabaddi at a later age compared to others, but his experience in football helped him with the transition. Argentina coach Ricardo Acuna, describing his abilities, said, “Playing football makes the lower part of the body very strong. Mariano is a very fast player. I saw him at the clinic and was impressed by his footwork. He is only two months into the sport of kabaddi, but has seen a lot of Pro Kabaddi League videos on the internet since then and is rapidly growing.”
Better late than never for Mariano Pascual, who will be hoping to have a stellar career in the sport.
