He might just be 24 and still only a rising star in world hockey, but Belgian striker Tom Boon doesn't shy away from speaking his mind.
Boon said what the Pakistan players did in the recently-concluded Champions Trophy was "bad", and that they needed to show more responsibility while representing their country.
Moments after their victory over India on Saturday, a few Pakistani players took off their jerseys and made obscene gestures towards the spectators at Bhubaneswar. That reaction took the entire focus away from the on-field action, with Hockey India president Narinder Batra threatening to stop playing against their arch-rivals, and the world body suspending two players and reprimanding one.
Asked if players can commit such mistakes in the heat of the moment, Boon shot back: "No, I don't think it can happen. It was the first time I saw such a thing in hockey.
"All I can say is that the guys who did it were wearing their national jersey and representing their country. And you always have to be at your best while representing your country. I thought it was bad, and you have to represent your country when you have the shirt on," he added.
The Belgium skipper, who was in the city for the first time to unveil Hockey India League (HIL) franchise Dabang Mumbai's jersey, greeted the audience with an effortless "namaste aamchi Mumbai". He sure did his homework, and added that he can't wait to make his HIL debut with the newly-formed franchise in the third edition of the league that kickstarts in January next year.
"I'm really happy and looking forward to playing for Dabang Mumbai. I think we had two bad years and we will do everything to make it change this time," Boon said, reflecting on the poor results that the former franchise – Mumbai Magicians – delivered in the first two seasons.
The fact that Boon is the rising star of world hockey was proven by the paycheck he received in the close bids last month, fetching a whopping $103,000 and becoming the costliest player ever in the HIL. For the record, his base price was just $20,000.
"Yes, it was shock. I didn't expect such a lot (of money). But I'm really proud and happy to have the jersey of Mumbai and I'll do my best to perform for them," Boon said.
What was also shocking was Belgium's performance in the Champions Trophy. Touted as an ever-improving team that can give the biggies a run for their money, they finished last in the eight-nation tournament.
"It was very unexpected," the captain said. "But the fact is that we lost against some very good side. It just shows that international hockey is becoming really good. All the top eight teams in the world are really close to each other. It's good for hockey. It shows that we have a lot of hard work to do ahead of the (2016 Rio) Olympics."
And what about India? The Sardar Singh-led outfit might have finished fourth, but Boon said he has never seen India play better.
"They played really good this time. We were really surprised by the team, the way they were playing for 60 minutes. It was the first time I saw India playing that well," he said.
ALL IN THE FAMILY...
The Boons produce hockey players like a factory. Tom's grandmother, Jacqueline Ronsmans, was a Belgian player, and so was his mother Carine Boon-Coudron. His uncles, Eric and Marc Coudron, also played the sport. In fact, the latter played a record 358 games for Belgium. Even Tom's sister Jill plays at the highest level. That's quite a hockey family, isn't it? "Yes, my entire family played for the national team. It's really nice to represent both my family and Belgium, like all my family members did. I'm really thankful to them for all they taught me, for driving me to training and coaching me. They really spent a lot of time with me to make me a better player," Tom said.
Know Boon
Date of birth: January 25, 1990
Position: Striker
National team: 2008- present
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