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Komal Thatal created history by becoming the first Indian player ever to score against Brazil at last year's BRICS Under-17 Tournament in Goa. The young Indian wonder kid, a product of the Namchi Football Academy, Sikkim, was inducted into the AIFF Academy in 2014 after his coach Suren Chettri send him to Bangalore's AIFF camp along with six others.
The 17-year-old midfielder can play multiple positions in attack, playing on the right wing, left wing and even centrally. Thatal has come from a difficult background in Sikkim, his father Arun Kumar Thatal being a master tailor and mother Sumitra lending her shoulder to help run the business.
Here is a short video of India's biggest star at the FIFA U-17 World Cup, courtesy of the good folks at AIFF.
Here are the ten things to know about the Indian Magician:
#1 - Thatal hails from Nathang, the paradise in Sikkim.
#2 - The young midfielder was born on 18th September 2000.
#3 - Eugeneson Lyngdoh is Thatal's favorite Indian player.
#4 - Thatal's favourite international player is the Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho, whose style he tries to follow.
#5 - Thatal's favourite football clubs are NorthEast United, the ISL club from the northeastern part of India, and Barcelona, the Spanish giants.
#6 - Thatal's favourite city is Gangtok, the capital city of his home state Sikkim. Local cuisine momos is his favourite food.
#7 - Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone rank among Amarjit's favourite celebrities
#8 - Darshan is his preferred singer and Creed ranks on top of his favourite movies' list.
#9 - Apart from playing football, Thatal also retains an interest in Mixed Martial Arts and reading books.
#10 - He is the first Indian player to score against the mighty Brazil.
With the FIFA U-17 World Cup just around the corner, Thatal has an important part to play in Luís Norton de Matos's team by creating chances and scoring goals. The two-footed attacking midfielder is good at beating the defenders and going forward. India will depend on Thatal's ability to progress in the tournament and beating the odds.
Stay tuned to this series for more about the Indian team stars who will make the nation proud at the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017.
The FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017 will start on 6th October and the official broadcasters for the event in India are SONY TEN 2 and SONY TEN 3
