FIFA U17 World Cup: How would India U17 players be rated if they were in FIFA 18

India was always labelled as a sleeping giant by the international football community for years, but now, however, it looks like the giant is finally waking up to glory. The senior Indian team breaking into the top 100 rankings is a very good sign for Indian football. Similarly, the junior teams like the Under 21s and Under 17s are also following suit.

In the first match of FIFA U17 World Cup, we could see the passion in the eyes of our players when they were conceding those goals. Goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem worked tirelessly to save the team from losing with a bigger margin as the USA had a total of 20 shots out of which a substantial eight were on target. Not only Dheeraj but also many other Indian players showed huge potential in front of a strong USA team.

Dribbling ability of the Indian U17 team is real good, work needs to be done on passing and tactical awareness. #FIFAU17WC

— Yashwanth Reddy (@YashTwts) October 6, 2017

All of this forces us to think that how would India's U17 players be rated if they were in FIFA 18?

FIFA U17 World Cup players in FIFA 18

Jadon Sancho - The U17 Wonderkid!

FIFA has always been appreciative of young stars whether it be in Ultimate Team or in Career mode. In Career mode, many of us like to play for many seasons at one club which gives a huge boost if these wonder kids are nourished properly. For example, Jadon Sancho, who plays for Borussia Dortmund and is also part of the England squad playing in the FIFA U17 World Cup in India, has a good overall rating of 63 with a potential up to a massive 86! There are many other players in England, Germany and Spain's U17 lineup that have a potential rating of 80 or more.

Though no Indian U17 players are there in FIFA 18, if they would have been there then they wouldn't have been far away from their foreign counterparts. The main difference lies due to lack of professional training our players get as most of the German, English or Spanish U17 players train in high profile academies!

Still, we can train our fantasy and take the opportunity to predict the Indian U17 starting XI's FIFA 18 rating, if they were in the game.

Our FIFA 18 (Hopeful) Predictions for India's U17 players

Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem (57)

We have rated our shot-stopper 58, not only because of his great goalkeeping in the first game but rather because of his overall performance last year. He should also have a high potential rating.

Jitendra Singh (54)

Jitendra had a good first half in his first World Cup game despite conceding a penalty. A good 54 rating seems suitable to his qualities.

Anwar Ali (54)

Anwar was solid at the back through the first half, but his second-half glitches were one of the reasons for the goals India conceded. But he showed signs of some real potential in himself!

Rahul Kannoly Praveen (58)

Rahul was exceptional on that day. He made some fine interceptions and also showed his great dribbling skills. He has a great talent in him!

Sanjeev Stalin (56)

Sanjeev has great pace attached to his abilities which also helped him to tag up with Komal upfront. He gave strength and pace to the wing from a defensive position.

Abhijit Sarkar (53)

Abhijit didn't look up for the game and had a bad day at the office! His attacking midfield miseries just added to an average defensive display by the team.

Suresh Singh Wangjam (56)

Suresh was one of the finest players in our midfield. He tried to dominate the midfield but didn't get much support from his colleagues!

Amarjit Singh Kiyam (54)

The Indian captain too had a bad day in office. The 16-year-old was not able to dictate the play and take care of the midfield problems in Indian team!

Kumanthem Nonthoinganba Meetei (55)

Meetei didn't get too much supply from the midfield due to which he was caught out by American defenders! But we anticipate a higher potential for this guy!

Aniket Anil Jhadav (55)

American defenders were too good for him in his first World Cup game. He too had lack of supplies to show his magic!

Komal Thatal (57)

One of the best future prospects for India, he had a great first game. He provided the strikers but to no avail. His runs on the left wing also gave American defenders something to think about. We hope he can rise up to his potential and become one of the best in the game!