- ‘Football is worth giving it all’ — the origin story of Bikram Lama
- Bikram Lama: The Rise and The Redemption
- Bikram Lama and tales of resilience
16 Dec. 2015
Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The Nepal National Football Team is out for one final warm-up session before it faces the home side in an exhibition match at Dhaka. Off to a good start, the first 15 minutes seem fine.
However, Bikram Lama has something to deal with yet again. The back injury that nearly took his career away from him, seems to have re-occurred as Lama complains of a “sharp pain” in his back. Chaos surrounds the Nepali National Team – one of their most experienced campaigners and the metronomic figure is set to miss the friendly, and to make things worse, possibilities of him missing the SAFF Championship lingers around.
The warm-up finishes and the players are out. Nepal are with Patrick Aussems – the Belgian manager who lasted only for a tournament later on. Surprisingly, Bikram Lama’s name is on the team sheet, and starts the game. Despite Nepal suffering a 1-0 loss, Bikram Lama plays 70 minutes, and makes his presence felt in the middle of the pitch.
During the interview, he gives this experience a very special place. Not because this was yet another time he played despite the odds, but because he went the right way without the crossroads. “It was once again a time when I had to be my own motivation. If I succumbed in front of those obstacles, all that I’d done ‘til then would go without any worth. I needed to push myself.” Lama further talks about what was going inside his head. “The national team coaches were frequently changing, and the only way I could prove I deserved to be a part of the team was by performing no matter what.”
After the friendly, the Nepali National Team headed to Kerala for the SAFF Championship 2015. The Nepali side that walked into the 2013 SAFF Championship as favorites were struggling, thanks to all the off-field drama and quick turn of events. The side saw major changes overnight, which ultimately put Bikram Lama as one of the senior most players in the squad. However, the roll of dice simply did not fall towards Nepal and Bikram Lama, as they crashed out of the group stages.
2015 was not a good year in general for Nepal as a nation. A 7.8 magnitude earthquake tore the country apart in April and an undeclared blockade from the South only made things worse. Bikram Lama spent a heavy chunk of the year working for the welfare of quake-hit parts of Sindhupalchowk district.
After the 2015 SAFF Championship and all the chaos, Nepal National Football Team headed for Bangladesh in 2016, to play their first tournament of the year – The Bangabandhu Gold Cup. The young emerging players that decorated the 2015 U-19 SAFF Championship-winning side were included, with few senior players including Bikram Lama. The outing turned out to be a fruitful one for the team – Nepal won its first tournament after 23 years, and Bikram Lama, was a vital part of the victorious young team.
“I really enjoyed playing with the young players. As a defensive midfielder and a senior member of the squad, it was my responsibility to direct the boys, who were extremely talented and could do good if they adapted to the team quickly. I just tried to do that – make an environment for them to adapt.” Lama sounds like he means each of the words he says.
After the first triumphant campaign, the South Asian Games Gold Medal match against India in 2016, was a cornerstone moment for Bikram Lama and the Nepali national team. In a match politically heated due to an undeclared blockade imposed upon Nepal, Nepal defeated the hosts in style. Despite having a line-up full of players that played in India’s new premier ISL, Nepal’s blend of youth and experience emerged out. As Bikram Lama remembers, the moment “instilled a belief in the team.”
Anjan Bista, one of Nepal’s finest attackers today, was a part of the young stream of players that joined the national squad during the high. “I still get chills when I recall those times. The bond between the players was so strong and everyone was ready to do everything for each other.” Anjan continues, “Bikram dai was one of those players that kept the bond alive. From settling heated discussions that happened on the field to motivating everyone to work hard, he did it all while continuing to do good as a player. Whether it was about a minor inconvenience between squad members or something related to your personal confidence – he was always there for us.”
The two tournament wins established Lama as a vital element, and most importantly, a mature and reliable defensive midfielder.
“I draw my inspiration from the finest defensive midfielders of our time – Sergio Busquets and Xabi Alonso,” says Lama, responding to how he sees the defensive midfield position. They show exactly how a good player keeps a watch on movements of both sides and enhances his own team’s performance. As a player, I want to transit and dictate everything around me.”
Similarly, Lama goes on to share his experiences as a defensive midfielder. “I used to practice very hard during Raju Kaji Shakya’s U-16 Camp, and I credit him for the tackling abilities that I possess. Timing is the vital part when you tackle because once you jump in, there’s no second chance. My tendency to tackle opponents started because I enjoyed sliding in the turf, and now I do it to break opposition attacks.” Lama chuckles as he finishes.
“Perhaps my tendency to observe and analyze everything going on around me helps me.” Lama yet again emphasizes how analysis occupies a major share in his performance.
Anjan Bista exactly knows Bikram Lama’s habits of analyzing him and his team’s performance. “We’re usually roommates when we travel with the national team,” Bista says, “We don’t usually sleep after a game, whether we win or lose. We analyze everything we can and exchange suggestions. His tendency to receive suggestions from everyone makes him a progressive player that aims to improve every day.”
During his progress both as a leading member of the side and a prolific defensive midfielder, the Nepali National Team was directly benefited. For the first time in its history, Nepal won an AFC Cup, the AFC Solidarity Cup in Malaysia. Bikram Lama’s leadership and tackles were bestowed evidence of his role as a senior player and the player that made things tick.
“I knew I had to take care of all the young boys, and I enjoyed playing with them. The victory was a cherry at the top, what we really enjoyed was going out there and playing for the national shirt. ‘Cause when you come from a country like Nepal, becoming a footballer is difficult, but the love that you get when you achieve with the national team cannot be found elsewhere.” Lama aptly puts his victory mantra and the aftermath of the achievement from a senior player and a leader’s perspective.
Bikram Lama’s leadership capabilities, however, draw inspiration from his domestic presence. Lama has been captaining Three Star Club for long now and has seen a lot of young players thrive in the team. “Very few players possess the level of dedication and friendliness that he possesses” Bijay Bhujel, Three Stars Club’s young forward tells Colors of The Game. “He knows what it takes to motivate and lead with an example. When you see a senior player like him work twice as hard as you do, you can’t sit but get up and start training.”
At the domestic level, Lama, by then, had obtained a legendary status captaining Three Stars Club to almost every tournament that the side played. Like many other ups and downs, a major blow for the skipper came in 2018, when he suffered a horrific leg injury playing Budha Subba Gold Cup. Suffering multiple fractures in tibia and fibula, Bikram Lama, for many, was done.
“For a footballer, a leg injury is devastating. Not for a single moment did I think about retiring. I was sure I was gonna overcome this injury as well,” Bikram Lama takes us through his hard times.
However, players struggle with minor injuries and are forced to end their careers prematurely in Nepal. Young and thriving careers have ended quickly, and lack of proper attention after the injury have made lives worse. For anyone else, suffering a leg injury at that phase of career would’ve meant a straight retirement. However, we’re talking about a man who had been in these situations previously, and not to our surprise, Bikram Lama never thought of retiring. Instead, the goal was set on returning as soon and as good as it could be done.
Three Star Club stepped up when their captain needed them the most, by compensating for all his treatment charges. This is special, as it came from a club that Bikram Lama had spent his whole career and players adhering to a single club is very rare in this part of the globe.
“The love that my fans and my club, Three Star showed during the time cannot be described in words. I thought all the love and loyalty that I showed was being returned to me.” Lama speaks on the occasion
Bikram Lama took time to acknowledge multiple figures that helped him in the process. “Abhiskar Pudasaini, my physio helped me follow protocols that Aaron Ramsey followed when he suffered a similar injury. He used to arrive and do things for me that helped me a lot.” He continues, “Also, performance enhancement trainers from UK, Nissan Magar and Saroj Gurung, helped me get hold of all the do’s and don’ts to get me back to playing at the top level, and Nawal Gurung dai helped me set-up guidelines for everything, from ground rehabs to ball rehabs. In a sense, it was a combined effort to get me back at top.”
However, a major loyalty test still awaited Lama. The 2018/19 season saw Three Star Club stumble to the third place, in the absence of their skipper and a pillar when deployed at the middle of the park. What followed was even worse – Three Stars looked like they were settling for their lowest ever finish in the top flight.
A tough choice was to be made for Lama, who had multiple offers on cards waiting for him to sign from different clubs. However, the captain courageous stayed true to his words as always – he denied everything else and once again committed to Three Star. “I refused multiple offers that were fascinating to stay at Three Star. I played for MMC on a loan move once for a few matches – but returned to Three Star immediately – because it just did not feel like home.” Lama puts up his love for the club, sounding like he means every bit of it.
With all the combined effort and everlasting will to keep pushing himself, Bikram Lama returned to the pitch after 282 days in 2019 – a moment that re-established his belief in himself. “After I returned from the injury and played against Kuwait, I assured myself that all my hard work had paid off. Although we drew 0-0, we played against a top opposition, and were able to prove we belonged to a certain level. I aim to serve this badge for years to come, and since I’ve never given up, I think things will work out if I keep on putting my work.” Similarly, the tale couldn’t have been better for him in the domestic league, as he guided Three Stars to a third-place finish in the domestic league.
Since then, Bikram Lama has gone on to be a vital part of another triumphant Nepali side that clinched the gold in South Asian Games 2019 in front of the home crowd. A love, an obsession that started with him walking miles to attend camp has now given him all the recognition, love, and a medium to let his life run, constructing him into a stronger individual that refuses to give up.
Today, Bikram Lama speaks to Colors of The Game from his home in the outskirts of Lalitpur, learning new chores everyday during this pandemic.
“I live the dream that many dream of living – representing the national badge and achieving something with it,” says Lama, “I’ve seen numerous dreams crumble due to extremely difficult circumstances. I feel happy when I see parents dropping and picking their kids up from football academies – we’re finally beginning to explore football as a means to represent and earn your living. ‘Cause you know, the struggles of being a footballer from a country like Nepal are immense, but the privileges and the joy that you enjoy are immeasurable.”