After nine months on the sidelines with ACL injury, Lara waits patiently for his chance

PANAJI: On a flight from Goa to Mumbai last week, FC Goa coach Manolo Marquez had some advice for goalkeeper Lara Sharma.
FC Goa were flying to Mumbai for their Indian Super League (ISL) clash and the goalkeeper and coach were seated next to each other. Manolo told Lara: "You will arrive where your mind wants you to. You can be very good technically, tactically, physically, but if you are not strong enough here (in the mind), you won't make progress."
Lara needed to hear those words.
On the sidelines for nine months with an ACL injury he picked up last season, Lara returned to the first team in December but soon realised he still had plenty of ground to cover with his fitness. Manolo also admitted he could have erred in rushing back the goalkeeper too soon, and it's only now that the 25-year-old has been part of the match-day squad for the last three games.
Lara is yet to make an appearance for FC Goa, who he joined this season, but knows he must be ready whenever called into action.
"I don't know when my chance will come, but whenever I get a chance (to play), I know I have to come up with good performance," Lara told TOI during the pre-match media interaction on Friday. "It does not matter whether I get a chance tomorrow, after a month, two months or even next season. But whenever I play, I have to do well. I have to be patient."
It hasn't been an easy ride for Lara in the Indian Super League (ISL).
Having graduated from the famed Tata Football Academy (TFA), Lara had stints with Indian Arrows, India juniors and ATK reserves, before moving to Bengaluru FC where he was second choice to India goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh. Nobody raised an eyebrow when he was loaned to Kerala Blasters due to lack of game time, but just when things were beginning to look up, he picked up an injury in the playoff against Odisha FC.
The injury turned out to be serious. It was Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) which needed surgery and a lengthy spell out of action.
"It was difficult for me because I never had injuries in my life from the day I start playing football. This was a big injury, it was really, really difficult, especially the first three-four months when I was at home. For pre-season (with Goa), there were senior players like Sandesh (Jhingan), Odei (Onaindia), Iker (Guarrotxena) who motivated me. It helped me during the rehab. It was a difficult period but taught me a lot," said Lara.
Lara was meant to be first choice goalkeeper for Goa, until the injury disrupted plans.
Laxmikant Kattimani was then signed from Hyderabad and the experienced keeper grabbed the top spot. Hrithik Tiwari was forced into action only when Kattimani was injured and since then the youngster has given a good account of himself.
Lara knows his time will come.
"The team is performing good, Hrithik is also playing well. It's been tough for me (on the sidelines). When I returned in December, I thought the injury was gone, I'm good, but on the pitch it was different. When I spoke with the coach, he told me I need more time (to make a comeback), so I started seeing videos of my training sessions every day. I noticed I had to improve on some things.
"Then there were doubts too whether the injury will reoccur. Speaking with someone like Sandesh helps a lot. He's always positive (with his words). He's always motivating and told me injuries are part of a footballer's life. Recovery takes time, it's a process and I'll return to the field (for a competitive game)," said Lara.