Vimal Yoganathan: ‘I can’t remember any Tamil players growing up. It’s a problem’

Vimal Yoganathan was eight years from being born when Barnsley last visited Old Trafford, in 1998. In the intervening quarter of a century the teenage midfielder has achieved something no one else has, becoming the first person of Sri Lankan Tamil descent to play professionally in England, but there is far more to his story.

The 18-year-old is a trailblazer and stepping out at Manchester United in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night would be a great inspiration for the next generation of south-east Asian players and recognition of the commitment he and his family have shown to get him to this stage.

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“It would be a big moment for the community if I played and obviously it would raise a lot more awareness and gain a lot more attention,” Yoganathan says. “I feel like my performances will speak louder than words, so I’m not putting all of that pressure on the Tamil community and want to focus on football.”

Throughout his journey, Yoganathan has had hundreds of teammates but crossing paths with those from south Asian communities is a rarity. “I had a friend and we played in the same Sunday League team but other than that I can’t remember coming up against any south Asian background players. I can’t remember any Tamil players growing up, whether that’s even Sunday league and definitely not academy football. I don’t think I met a single Tamil footballer, so it’s definitely a problem that’s all the way through the pyramid.”

Yoganathan always had the support of his family, who ferried him to games and training as he tried to make his dreams a reality. It is sometimes hard to believe you can make it when your reference points are nonexistent, working against a tide. It is estimated that 22 of the approximately 3,700 male professionals in English football come from a south Asian background.

“There’s obviously a lot of contributing factors but I think there’s also that risk and uncertainty about the industry because you can devote your life to it growing up for 15 to 18 years and still might not get a career out of it,” Yoganathan says.

“Parents are a lot more wary of that and you know they might want to take the safer route, which might be staying in school and going to all your tuition, but I think my parents raised me a bit differently. They wanted me to go for what I wanted to achieve in life and take that risk, which I did and fortunately I came out on the right end of it. It’s just being brave about following your dreams.

“I feel quite comfortable with knowing that I am a role model to a lot of people and I feel like I’ve helped and give some words of advice to a lot of people as well. It’s just been about raising awareness really about it and trying to bring other south Asian and especially Tamil footballers into the game and if I can do that, I’ll be happy and proud and I’m sure my family would be proud of that because it’s obviously a concern. It’s something that should be addressed – everyone can contribute towards improving the situation.”

The mature central midfielder is a Wales under-19 international and spent the recent break playing against Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. Brought up in the Flintshire village of Trelawnyd, Yoganathan started playing football aged four and was signed by Liverpool before being released as a schoolboy. After a spell with Burnley, Yoganathan found his way to Barnsley. “Leaving Liverpool, especially as a Liverpool fan, was quite hard to take but looking back it’s just part of football,” he says. “It was difficult for me because it was all I’d known for seven years of my life.

“It was an uncertain time and I didn’t know whether I was gonna have a career in football or not so that was a bit of a worry, but I obviously stuck to it and luckily I was fortunate enough to find Barnsley. It was a bit of a scary period for me personally, but I came out of it on the right side and I feel like I’m doing all right at the minute. Obviously things happen for a reason and I’m just glad to have found my feet again. It’s good to be at a club like Barnsley where I can showcase what I can do.”

Yoganathan’s debut came in a Carabao Cup shootout defeat by Tranmere in August 2023 under Neill Collins. The new manager, Darrell Clarke, has offered more opportunities to the teenager, who is highly regarded at Oakwell and has been the subject of interest from Premier League clubs.

Yoganathan, whose league debut came in August, never had a role model from a similar background to show what is possible in football. He has already scored twice against Manchester United this season, netting a double in the EFL Trophy, helping provide more positive headlines as he sets an example for those who can see footpaths to follow. What would another double at Old Trafford do for him and the Tamil community? “I wouldn’t complain,” Yoganathan says with a smile.