Jonathan Piers (Bengaluru)
The 19-year-old Bangalore boy made a mark on the tournament with his strong showings. A member of the Bengaluru FC U-19 side, the powerfully built youngster is essentially a defender but was an imposing presence up front for his Bengaluru side after being asked to do so by the coach.
He scored a goal in each of his outings, all three of them well-taken efforts and was the leading Indian goal scorer at the tournament. Most admirably, he showed a very level head and took a bold approach to the games, unafraid of going up against some of the biggest names in the world.
As Bengaluru’s highest goal-scorer and arguably best player, Jonathan gives Indian football hope and was deservingly awarded the ‘Best Indian Player of the Tournament’ award.
Fredsan Marshall (Goa)
The Goan lad is another Indian who has impressed for his hometown side, Goa 5s. He had a goal to his name when he scored in the second game where Ronaldinho scored five. He was very good playing up top combining well in the forward area and helped his team in attack showing good touch.
He was picked in Goa’s key games and did not disappoint. With his speed and quick feet, he managed to trouble the Kochi defense in the semifinals.
S Nannda (Chennai)
In every tournament, there are players who play very well but end up with nothing to show for it, though. Nannda was one such performer for Chennai. He and Haroon were the go-to guys as far as Indian players for Chennai and Nannda did very well.
He showed the best touch of the Indian guys, possessing the ability to beat players with his footwork. He was close to scoring a few times and had a hand in setting up a few goals.
He finally got a goal to his name in Chennai’s last game against Kochi and deservingly so. Despite Chennai rotating their Indian players often, Nannda was the best of the bunch and was one of the players who could have flourished if he was given more playing time.
