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India begin their campaign at the FIFA U-17 World Cup against the United States of America on the 6th of October. All eyes will be on those 11 teenagers on the field who, irrespective of the result, will create history.
The player in focus today, Mohammad Shahjahan, was part of the Minerva Punjab FC Academy which played against the national under-17 team. India head coach Luis Norton de Martos was impressed with six players from the team and Shahjahan got the call-up for the Indian Under-17 team for the showpiece event.
Shahjahan was picked in the national team earlier in 2015 but was later dropped, but this match also paved the way for his return to the national team. Shahjahan had made one appearance for the Under-17 team
Shahjahan’s father is a tailor who undertook side jobs to buy football boots for his child. Shahjahan had a difficult path to make his way to the national team. He is a short glimpse of his life in the player's own words.
The midfielder is one of the Indian players to watch out for at the World Cup and in this segment, we will look at the 10 things that need to be known about India's midfield maestro.
#1 Mohammad Shahjahan hails from Imphal capital of Manipur and is the part of the large Northeast contingent in the team.
#2 He was born on 3rd October 2000.
#3 His favourite player is none other than Indian captain Sunil Chhetri, and Bengaluru FC is his favourite Indian team.
#4 Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is his favourite international player. Real Madrid is his favourite club.
#5 His favourite city is none other than his hometown Imphal.
#6 Apart from football, he also loves to play carrom.
#7 His favourite actor is Salman Khan, and actress is Deepika Padukone.
#8 He likes to listen to Thangjam Linda's songs
#9 Blockbuster movie Baahubali - The Conclusion is his favourite movie.
#10 Manipuri Food is his favourite cuisine.
Mohammad Shahjahan won't be a regular starter for the team but will have an important role to play as India prepare to set foot in a FIFA World Cup for the first time
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
