He has set a new milestone in the history of the I-league, breaking Mohammed Rafi and Sunil Chhetri’s record by scoring 15 goals in his 18 matches in the ongoing I-League so far. 

He is Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia and when he was scoring his 15th goal against Churchill Brothers on Thursday at home his mother was ill. Still, she watched her son's jubilation on TV while lying on the bed. 

Lalrinzuala is undoubtedly happy with the achievement. His teammates went to his home after the match and had a small celebration also. 

Still, the 23-year-old striker did not sound elated while speaking over the phone from Aizawl on Friday night. "I was concerned about mother's illness, taking her to hospital, busy with talking to the doctors almost throughout the day,” revealed Lalrinzuala. 

When asked about his achievement the striker divulged, “I never thought of achieving this feat when I started playing in the I-league. I only tried to be consistent and now, even after scoring the 15th goal against Churchill Brothers I was telling myself that I would have to be consistent and score more goals.” 

The striker received congratulatory messages from the state Chief Minister, from the club owner. He expressed gratitude to both of them for congratulating him. 

But Lalrinzuala could not believe he would receive such an inspiring message from Mizoram legend Jeje Lalpekhua. “I used to watch Jeje a lot in my early days. I used to copy his style of play also in the early days. Our generation of footballers in Mizoram has idolized Jeje. I am overwhelmed by his congratulatory message. It has been a big motivation for me,” pronounced Lalrinzuala. 

Lalrinzuala is an ardent fan of Uruguay’s legendary striker Luis Suarez. He explained, "I want to become a successful opportunist striker like Suarez, scoring a lot of goals. I follow his videos of matches and training a lot, do even extra training to increase fitness and speed."

The striker who has reportedly signed a pre-contract with Jamshedpur FC however reminded that he is contracted for one more season with Aizawl FC. 

When asked whether he deserves a national call-up, Lalrinzuala smiled and stated, "I should not make any comment. It depends on the national coaches. But I always dream of donning India shirts as I have never represented the country so far."