“Forever Custodian Of Dreams”: India’s ‘God In The Goal’ PR Sreejesh Pens Ahead Of His Final Match
Indian men’s hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh wrote an emotional letter before heading to the semi-final hockey match at the Paris Olympics on X. After their heartbreaking 2-3 defeat against reigning World Champions Germany in a thrilling semi-final, India will now lock horns with Spain in the bronze medal match.
Notably, the bronze medal match against Spain will be the last match for Indian hockey team goalkeeper PR Sreejesh. The celebrated player has decided to finish his 18-year-long career with today’s match.
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Hours before heading to the field, the 36-year-old from Kerala penned an emotional note stating that his international career was “nothing short of extraordinary” and expressed his gratitude to the countrymen for believing in him.
“As I stand between the posts for the final time, my heart swells with gratitude and pride. This journey, from a young boy with a dream to the man defending India’s honour, has been nothing short of extraordinary. Today, I play my last match for India. Every save, every dive, every roar of the crowd will forever echo in my soul. Thank you, India, for believing in me, for standing by me. This is not the end, but the beginning of cherished memories,” he wrote.
As I stand between the posts for the final time, my heart swells with gratitude and pride. This journey, from a young boy with a dream to the man defending India’s honour, has been nothing short of extraordinary.
Today, I play my last match for India. Every save, every dive,… pic.twitter.com/pMPtLRVfS0
— sreejesh p r (@16Sreejesh) August 8, 2024
His post concluded by promising to be a “forever custodian of dreams”.
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Sreejesh’s contribution to Indian hocket has been widely appreciated. He had been instrumental in India’s historic bronze win at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. He made his debut at the 2006 South Asian Games. He was part of the Indian team when they won the gold medal in the 2014 Asian Games and a bronze medal in the 2018 Asiad in Jakarta-Palembang.
When India lost to Germany in the semi-final match, Spain suffered a 4-0 loss against Netherlands in the semi-final on Tuesday. India had earlier defeated Spain 3-0 in the group stage at the Tokyo Olympics and if they managed to win the match, the team would return back with back-to-back medals in men’s hockey at the Summer Games.
