FIFA U-17 World Cup: Son of a rickshaw-puller, Abhijit Sarkar is India's big hope for goals

Abhijit Sarkar is one of the stars of the Indian Under-17 national team. The 17-year-old was among the top scorers for the Colts in their European exposure trip that produced a mixed bag of results.

The Colts ended their exposure trip on a positive note after a difficult start, and it was Sarkar’s strike against a representative Italian national team in a 2–0 win that started an eight-match unbeaten run for the Colts.

India went on to beat Valmontone City 3–0 in the Lazio Cup six days later but that wasn’t enough for the Colts to progress past the group stage. That day, once again, Sarkar showed his prowess in front of goal by netting a hat-trick.

His performances under head coach Luis Norton de Matos have almost established that Sarkar will be among the eleven players who will take to the pitch against the United States of America on 6th October in what will be a momentous occasion for Indian football.

The FIFA Under-17 World Cup will be the first time an Indian national football team participates in a FIFA event, and going by Sarkar’s goals, hopes of a billion Indian people will rest on the shoulders of the teenager from Bandel, West Bengal.

That says a lot about the rise of a player who was born and brought up amid poverty in the suburbs of Kolkata.

His father Haren works as a rickshaw-puller, while his mother Alaka works in a grocery shop binding biri, some days earning less than the minimum wage that one ought to earn in India. That the two of them raised Abhijit and are now seeing their son represent India in an event of unprecedented magnitude for the country is a testament to their efforts.

“We can’t even believe our eyes that Abhijit is playing in the Indian team. That is something we didn’t imagine while he grew up. He has worked hard to achieve this and wants to see us smiling. That’s why he works even harder than us,” said Alaka, upbeat about her son’s hopes.

Abhijit (number 12) celebrating India U-17s' 2-0 win over an Italy XI

Having been severely bitten by the football bug after the Brazilian legend Carlos Alberto gifted him a football during the 2014 World Cup trophy tour in Kolkata, Sarkar grew up living and sleeping football, even going to bed with Alberto’s gift.

“Live your life with it. Every night, when you will sleep, this football should be your companion,” were the words of the now-deceased Alberto to a young Abhijit, who took the greatest World Cup-winning captain’s words a bit too literally.

Sarkar started his footballing journey at the tender age of five, but his real break came when he was taken by local football coach Ashoke Mondol under his wing. There was no looking back for the young Abhijit ever since, and his all but confirmed place in Norton de Matos’ national team is a result of the effort he has put in in all these years.

From being raised in a family where survival takes precedence more than anything else, where the struggle with life’s basic necessities is what drives people, Abhijit has come a long way to become one of Indian football’s golden boys.

A widely-held notion of the current India Colts team is the fact that they lack the knack for scoring goals. Under Norton de Matos’ short tenure so far, the Colts have played attractive football on plenty of occasions but failed to back their efforts with goals.

That has been an inherent problem for many Indian sides of the past, but in Abhijit, the Colts have a player who knows where the back of the net is.

While his goal against the representative Italy side almost scripted history until it came to light that the opponents were not the first-choice Italian national team. However, just six days later, with his hat-trick against Valmontone, Abhijit announced himself as the premier goalscorer in the current Colts side.

India will lock horns with the USA, Colombia and Ghana in the group phase of the Under-17 World Cup, with all their matches scheduled to be staged in New Delhi until the knockout stages come round.

While it would be far-fetched to expect Abhijit’s parents to come down to India’s capital city to watch their son make history given their routine as daily wage earners, the bright-eyed kid will certainly have the support of the 50,000 expectant Indian fans who will throng the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on 6th October.

It is goals that win football matches, and in Abhijit and his goals are pinned Indian football’s hopes at the Under-17 World Cup. Being a fan of Cristiano Ronaldo, it is no surprise that he loves scoring goals.