He said he took a great risk when he left his job with Indian Bank and landed in Kolkata to play for East Bengal. “People told me I was mad and none supported me when I decided to move to Kolkata. But I knew if I wanted to play for India I had to come out of my comfort zone. The training was more professional in Kolkata and things fell into place when I started scoring,” he said.
Vijayan said it was a fanboy moment when he met Brazilian legend Roberto Carlos at the erstwhile ISL club Delhi Dynamos, where he worked under Carlos as assistant coach. “He was a legend who had won a World Cup, Champions league, Copa America and every trophy under the sun. I was in awe of him. Carlos created a buzz. But personally I think he wasn’t ready when he took over as coach of Delhi Dynamos,’’ he said.