Vinay Menon knew small astir Chelsea proprietor Roman Abramovich. He knew adjacent little astir football; helium had ne'er seen a lucifer successful his life.
But arsenic helium approached the doorway of Abramovich's westbound London mansion successful 2009, helium was astir to person a gathering that would alteration his beingness and alteration him into, arguably, the astir celebrated Indian successful the sport.
Born successful Kerala and inspired by his maternal 'yogi' gramps to prosecute a vocation successful wellness, Menon was a word-of-mouth proposal to the Russian oligarch.
He was delivering wellness, yoga and relaxation exercises to billionaires and celebrities astatine a luxury edifice successful Dubai, erstwhile the begetter of Abramovich's then-wife Dasha booked successful for a session.
Menon past came to London to tally backstage classes for the Abramovichs. But Roman was truthful impressed by Menon that helium sent him to Chelsea's Cobham grooming crushed with a little to enactment with the first-team squad arsenic the Premier League's archetypal wellness coach.
"Roman asked for it to hap and it happened," Menon says.
"I was an Indian, who was ne'er exposed to football, entering a monolithic nine and it seemed impossible.
"There was a large barrier, but it was not an immovable stone due to the fact that it came from the proprietor himself - helium initiated that alteration truthful everyone was acceptable to try."
Still, the accomplishment of Menon and his doctrine was a civilization daze for a squad who had finished arsenic either Premier League champions oregon runners-up successful the erstwhile 5 seasons.
"We are talking astir elite show - alteration is ever difficult," Menon says.
"Adding oregon taking distant is ever difficult, radical don't privation to alteration due to the fact that they are already performing and winning. Why should they?
"Everyone treated maine good but grooming the players wasn't casual initially. I should convey a fewer players, who were acceptable to effort me."
None of the players were obliged to enactment with Menon. Instead his services were disposable if immoderate felt they would beryllium useful.
Striker Didier Drogba rapidly became Menon's cardinal advocate.
"Didier was the archetypal 1 – Chelsea is similar 1 large household and we conscionable sat and ate successful the canteen with the players and truthful we started a speech organically portion eating," says Menon.
"He asked what I tin bash for him, and I told him we tin effort this, and helium asked maine to effort close away. That was the infinitesimal wherever shot opened successful beforehand of me.
"After that Joe Cole, Frank Lampard, John Terry began coming to maine to effort it.
"The aesculapian section were fantastic and made maine portion of their team, contempt being from a antithetic discipline."
Menon's sessions progressive meditation, sharpening players' intelligence attack and dispelling the antagonistic thoughts that tin travel with top-flight unit and scrutiny.
"I was a idiosyncratic without a title, teaching the players self-care and however to balance, spiritually, emotionally, and yet interaction them physically," says Menon.
"They are quality beings and request a person to giggle with, babble to and past they volition unfastened up.
"You request to beryllium blessed successful the caput successful sports and business. It’s the aforesaid – the caput is everything."
Menon was a changeless beingness successful the Chelsea backroom unit for 13 years, moving nether managers specified arsenic Carlo Ancelotti, Rafael Benitez, Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte and, finally, Thomas Tuchel.
"I got the accidental to beryllium portion of each the trophies Chelsea won from 2010," helium says.
"What an experience, it was an unbelievable space, I miss it a lot, frankly.”
Menon was portion of a immense cull of Chelsea staff, notably successful the aesculapian department, erstwhile Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital bought the nine successful 2022 from Abramovich.
Abramovich was forced to merchantability aft being sanctioned for links to Russian President Vladimir Putin successful the aftermath of the penetration of Ukraine.
The upheaval astatine the nine has coincided with a tally of injuries among Chelsea's squad but Menon backs the caller owners to stabilise the club.
"Change is inevitable successful life," helium says. "The aged authorities had a batch of occurrence and enactment a large people connected the club.
"Another absorption squad came successful which is precise ambitious, precise different, from a antithetic region, knowing shot connected a antithetic level.
"They request clip to adapt, they are possibly successful a benignant of pre-season, I judge they volition adapt. I worked with the caller absorption and they are good.
"I privation them each the best; I americium inactive a Chelsea instrumentality and the nine gave maine everything I have."
Menon blazed a caller way successful 2022, travelling to the World Cup arsenic portion of Roberto Martinez's Belgium staff.
India – the astir populous federation connected world – has ne'er qualified for the tourney and Menon's beingness caught the attraction of his compatriots.
"This practice ever helps my location state and the young procreation to amusement that determination is simply a career," helium says.
"We tin beryllium successful this arena. If you are not successful arsenic a player, astatine slightest successful the backroom staff. Traditionally, successful India astir parents accidental you should archetypal survey and past play. I privation to alteration that truthful survey and play is 50/50. You request to travel your dreams."
Menon believes infrastructure volition request to change, on with mindset, if his location state is to go a origin connected the planetary shot scene.
"We are a state of 1.4bn radical and the main occupation is filtration," helium adds.
"We request a minimum 100 grassroots level clubs to filter this. It is astir structuring the grassroots level and schools.
“If you systemise it, we volition person a team.
“At the past World Cup, galore Indians were successful Qatar and followed Messi and Ronaldo's journey. But we request a taste change. Sports are important for the future, intelligence wellness, health, system arsenic well.
"I person had these conversations earlier successful India and if my state needs me, I volition ever beryllium there. I americium definite sooner oregon aboriginal we volition beryllium astatine the World Cup."
English (US) ·