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The stage is set for the second most populated country in the world to witness a major footballing event firsthand from October 6. The FIFA U-17 World Cup has given the nation a huge boost in promoting and expanding the reach of the sport. In a nation of 1.3 billion, all eyes will be on the young Indian contingent to make their country proud on the biggest of stages.
Coached by Luis Norton de Matos, these boys are the future of Indian football and will count themselves lucky to get such an exposure so early in their careers. Reaching this level has not been a cakewalk for any of these talented teenagers with some having to make some unbelievable struggles to make it this far.
In a financially unbalanced country like India, the struggles of taking up football as a full-time profession are still far from being regular. Here, we list the five Indian U-17 players who overcame great struggles to fight their way into representing India at the World Cup:
#5 Sanjeev Stalin
The Bengaluru-born Sanjeev Stalin is a vital cog in India's designs for the upcoming tournament. Playing as a defensive midfielder, Stalin has caught the attention of a number of scouts from around the country. He scored his first goal for India from the half way line; showing a supreme sense of confidence in his abilities.
Stalin comes from a very humble background with his father owning a garments' shop on a footpath in Bengaluru. Despite his limited means, Sanjeev's father has been the biggest inspiration in his life with the teenager referring to his father as his favourite player. Stalin started his football career playing barefoot and first wore a pair of cleats when he joined the Chandigarh Football Academy aged 10.
#4 Saurabh Meher
Son of a fisherman, Sourabh Meher has come a long way from fetching fishes in his boat to fetching a ball from the back of the net. A forward, Meher has been among the goals since arriving in the Indian national team setup in 2015. An influential member of this Indian team, Meher has had an eventful childhood.
Despite warnings from his father to not indulge in fishing, Sourabh learned the art behind his father's back to earn some money and buy his first football shoes. With the 6000 INR that he collected, Meher bought his first pair of Nike shoes few years ago.
His talent saw him get selected in the Air India side with whom he won the Durand Cup. Despite his financial struggles, Meher fought hard with his destiny to become one of the country's most promising forwards.
#3 Anwar Ali
Anwar Ali or Billa as he is fondly called by his peers is a crucial cog in India's backline. The boy from Punjab comes from a very backward family. Living in a 10x12 house with no toilet, life was tough for Ali until football rescued him and his family. Credit has to be given to his father too who supported him from the start and wanted his son to play football instead of cricket, Anwar's first choice.
A tall centre-back who is comfortable on the ball has played most of his football with Minerva FC. During his early days, Ali was given the job of herding buffaloes by his mother. But the teenager took the farm animals to his playing field without the knowledge of his mother. Such was his dedication to the game which will now see him donning the Indian jersey next month in the U-17 World Cup!
#2 Komal Thatal
The poster boy of India's World Cup squad, Komal Thatal comes from a very humble family. Both of his parents are tailors, his father being the master tailor and his mother helping out as much as possible in the family business. But despite their difficult financial conditions, Komal's parents never came in their son's dream of playing football and provided him with the best possible facilities.
India's hopes can genuinely be said as being rested on the shoulders of this young midfielder who uses his nimble feet to create magic just like his father who stitches fabric to create beautiful dresses. It was Komal who scored against Brazil in the BRICS Cup earlier this year. A fan of Real Madrid, Komal Thatal will look to impress one and all in the World Cup to make his family proud.
#1 Abhijit Sarkar
Born in Bandel, West Bengal, Abhijit Sarkar is one of the most important players in the Indian squad. A prolific goal scorer, Sarkar is expected to be one of the first names on the team sheet come the first game of the World Cup. Though it must be said that the 17-year-old has had to do much more than just develop his game to reach the Indian team.
Both of his parents are daily wage earners, with his father being a rickshaw puller and his mother being a Bidi binder in a local grocery store. With a daily earning of 25 INR, his mother fought hard with the situation to take care of her son.
Spotted as early as age five, Sarkar took up the game in a flash and never looked back. Though his parents might not be able to come to New Delhi to watch their son play against the USA on October 6, the entire nation will be behind Abhijit Sarkar cheering for India's future striker.
