Srinagar, July 7 -- When Mehrajuddin Wadoo walked onto the sunlit grounds of Srinagar as a boy, football was just a way to outrun the weight of life. He wasn't chasing records then. He was chasing freedom.

Now, decades later, that burly boy is the new President of the Football Players Association of India (FPAI), the country's most powerful footballers' body. Sunil Chhetri, India's most celebrated striker, sits beside him as Vice President.

For Wadoo, this is no ceremonial badge. This is another fight. This time, not for minutes on the pitch, but for the rights and future of players across the country.

His story has always been about chasing what seemed distant.

Born in Srinagar to Mohammad Sultan Wadoo, a former Santosh Trophy player...