New Delhi: Surprised to emerge as the costliest player ever of the Hockey India League (HIL), Belgian forward Tom Boon says besides his family he has always looked upto India captain Sardar Singh, Australian great Jamie Dwyer and Dutch legend Teun de Nooijer for inspiration.
Boon, who was born in a hockey family, was acquired by new outfit Dabang Mumbai for a whopping USD 103,000 in the closed bid for the 2015 season, against his base price of USD 20,000, netting him more than USD 25,000 per week in the four-week event.
"Beside my family, I always loved to see players like Sardar Singh, Jamie Dwyer and Teun de Nooijer, who I had the chance to play with in Hockey Club Bloemendaal. They inspire me a lot," Boon told PTI in an email interview.
Boon 's grandmother Jacqueline Ronsmans was a Belgian international player, just like his mother Carine Boon-Coudron and his uncles Eric and Marc Coudron (Belgian record international with 358 games).
Also his sister Jill Boon plays at the highest Belgian level.
Boon feels being picked up by a new franchise it will be relatively easy for him to fit into the team's scheme of things.
"Frankly speaking, I did not expect to be picked up at this price. But it's a nice feeling that I was picked up by Dabang Mumbai. As they are a completely new team with a new set-up it will be easy to adjust with everyone in the team in terms of coordination on the field," the 24-year-old said.
After fetching a record price in the closed bid, Boon knows the team's expectations would be high on him, but he is open to learn from other senior players and also share his experiences with them.
"I will be looking at giving my best on the field and continuing my good form for the franchise in the upcoming league. Coming from different countries it will be an experience to share the dressing room with everyone and I see this as a platform to better by play by learning from the rest of the players in the team," the Belgian, who made his international debut in 2008 said.
"Our team is new. It is a mix of experience as well as young guns who are looking at proving themselves on the international arena," Boon said.
Boon will make his debut in HIL next year and the Belgian said it is an honour for him to be a part of such an event, which has the backing of the International Hockey Federation (FIH).
"Hockey India League is the only official hockey league in the world which brings together all the stars of hockey on the same platform. It's an honour to be a part of this league," he said.
"I will take this as an opportunity to grow and better by play on the field. Playing in a team with players from different countries helps you in understanding your team-mates and bettering yourself according to the need of the team."
Boon had visited India before but he said if time permits he would like to explore the country's heritage this time around.
"India is known for its rich heritage, if given an opportunity I will definitely like to explore the history of India," he signed off.
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