Ayon Mondal has come out of a lot of hardships despite the fact he is 23 years old. The passion for football had been in his mind since childhood and he played at a young age in his locality, at Shibrampur, Behala under the guidance of Debashis Nandi, then at Dukhiram Majumder Memorial Football coaching camp under the guidance of Manojit Das. 

He did not have to face hurdles when he participated in the IFA-nursery football league. Then gradually Ayon progressed, playing in the Fifth Division and then in the First Division. He developed the basics of his game under the guidance of Mohun Bagan’s former junior coach Amiya Ghosh.

But as he became grown up Ayon could feel the heat of financial distress. His father worked as a private electrician. During the lockdown in the post-Covid-19 pandemic, Ayon's football career was devastated. He had to stop playing and start thinking of earning. 

It was natural. His father had no job at that time. His uncle came forward with all his blessings, helping them to survive financially. Ayon expressed gratitude to his uncle.

The footballer who is representing Diamond Harbour FC this season added, “I learned how to collect blood samples. I thought of working at a pathology clinic which I did not do ultimately. Then I started working with Zomato, roaming around for almost 10 hours from afternoon till the night.”

In a bid to earn money, Ayon had to do another thing during that phase. He used to often take part in 'masala matches'. But today he remembered how much painful it was. He continued saying, “I took part in ‘masala matches’ often for earning. It was painful. I had to go to remote places. I had to wait to receive the money, waiting for long after the matches. I often used to return home at night. Then playing masala matches is always risky for any footballer. Today, after settling in the mainstream football I feel I have the biggest relief I have come out of that nightmarish days.” 

Still, the desire to play the game did not die and Ayon met Abhishek Das, the former India international and DHFC captain. Abhishek runs a coaching camp near his house. Ayon continued, "Abhishek Das changed my life, bringing me back to mainstream football and normal life. He took me to DHFC where I was reborn as a footballer." 

An ardent fan of Sergio Ramos, Ayon has liked to play in defense since young age. Still, he played as a striker in the nursery league and Fifth Division and scored goals too. But He returned to his favorite position after progressing in the First Division. 

He gave huge credit to Kibu Vicuna, the Spanish coach of DHFC commenting, "Vicuna sir's style of coaching is so modern that my game standard has completely changed after joining DHFC. I regained the confidence, learning how to hold on to the ball and even building up a counterattack from my half. Simultaneously, I must mention Deepak Mondal's name. He is our coach and, more importantly, a renowned defender. I have been learning a lot about the technique of defending, especially on heading, anticipation, tackling." 

Ayon revealed he is more focused on settling him as a professional footballer. He concluded by stating, "I want to earn from playing football, not a job only. Whatever I have earned, I have mostly spent repairing our house and buying boots. I want to ask my father to take a rest from the day I sign up for a club in the ISL."