Under-17 World Cup: Meet Members of the Indian Team

Meet the group of Indian teenagers who will be making history this October.

India’s campaign at the Under-17 FIFA World Cup begins on 6 October. 

(Photo: Vibhushita Singh/The Quint)

A van-rickshaw driver’s son from West Bengal, a tailor's son from Sikkim, and a youngster whose mother is a street vendor in Bengaluru – the Indian team for the under-17 FIFA World Cup is a fascinating blend of teenagers from different parts of the country.

A majority of them have faced adversities, some of them have fought their parents, and all of them have stayed away from home for a long time to be a part of the historical squad that will become the first Indian team to participate in a FIFA World Cup.

Drawn in Group A, India face USA on 6 October, followed by Colombia and Ghana on 9 October and 12 October respectively at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. Led by Amarjit Singh Kiyam, here’s a look at India’s U-17 World Cup squad.

Amarjit Singh Kiyam (Midfielder/Skipper)

The captain of the Indian side in the U-17 World Cup, Amarjit Singh Kiyam hails from a small town in Manipur. His father – Chandramani Singh Kiyam – is a farmer and carpenter, while his mother, Ashangbi Devi, sells fish for a living.

My father is a farmer and during the off-season, he works as a carpenter, but he never asked me to join him. He encouraged me to play football and follow my heart’s desire.

Amarjit Singh Kiyam

The 16-year-old fell in love with football at his local school and joined the Chandigarh Football Academy in 2010 where Amarjit caught the eye of the national selectors. He was called at the AIFF Academy in Goa and since then has been training there.

Read: Farmer’s Son to Indian U-17 Captain, Amarjit Singh on Road Ahead

Komal Thatal (Midfielder)

17-year-old Komal Thatal from Sikkim did not have the means to buy a football and played with a ball made of rags or plastic.

My parents are tailors and we have a small shop at my native place. When I was a child, I used to play with round objects made of cloth or plastic.

Komal Thatal

Nevertheless, Thatal’s father, Arun Kumar, and mother, Sumitra, always supported their son and saved from their meagre income to buy their son boots and a football.

From his local school at Timberbong at Soren sub-division in West Sikkim, Thatal made it to the Namchi Sports Academy in 2011. Impressed by his skills, the academy's head coach sent Thatal for a trial in 2014 in Goa where AIFF was looking for talented players for the U-17 World Cup.

Thatal got the nod and since then, he has been at the Indian camp. He has been a key member of the team and came to the limelight during the BRICS Cup in Goa last year when he scored a brilliant goal against Brazil though India lost the match 1-3.

Sanjeev Stalin (Defender)

Sanjeev Stalin, whose family sells jersey on the footpaths of Bengaluru, also enrolled at the Chandigarh Football Academy at a young age and remained there for seven years before shifting to the national camp at the AIFF Academy in Goa.

Read: Know Your Under-17 World Cup Stars: Defender Sanjeev Stalin

"Every day, my father goes out for some work or the other, and so my mother stands and sells clothes at the footpath with my maternal uncle. That is our family's income. When I was a child I did not know where these boots are coming from nor did I know that the money came from selling clothes on the footpath. I just played football which was my passion,” said Stalin.

Jeakson Singh (Midfielder)

Coming from a family of sportspersons, Jeakson Singh took up football at a young age, accompanying his father to the village’s local club. Following his dream to wear the Indian jersey, Jeakson too joined the Chandigarh Football Academy. Overcoming failure and persevering while away from home, the 16-year-old worked relentlessly and trained until he found a place in the India U-17 squad.

Read: Know Your Under-17 World Cup Stars: Def Midfielder Jeakson Singh

Suresh Singh Wangjam (Midfielder)

Midfielder Suresh Singh Wangjam, who led the side in the AFC U-16 Championships and BRICS Cup in 2016, is one of the most-capped players in the team. However, his journey to the U-17 squad was not an easy one.

Even though his family had different aspirations for him, Suresh stayed obdurate and continued to pursue his passion for football. The 17-year-old from Imphal went on to represent Manipur in the national Under-14 Championships in 2011. He was later called for a trial in Goa by the national selectors for the U-17 World Cup.

Anwar Ali (Defender)

Born in Adampur, a small town in the district of Jalandhar, Anwar Ali is one of four players from Minerva Punjab FC who will be representing India in the upcoming U-17 World Cup. He played for India's U-14 team but was released by the AIFF Academy, after which he joined the Mahilpur acadamy and then the Minerva FC Academy in Chandigarh.

Ironically, the young lad was always interested in cricket but his father encouraged him to take up football.

Abhijit Sarkar (Midfielder)

Several generations in his family didn’t achieve great success on the field, yet Abhijit Sarkar from West Bengal chose to take up football at a young age. His father works as a van-rickshaw driver and seasonally as a tailor, and his mother binds cheap cigarettes at a local grocery shop. Though they struggled to make ends meet, Sarkar’s parents encouraged him to play football but also wanted him to balance it with his studies.

Abhijit came to the fore during the 2017 European exposure tour where he scored against Italy XI and later netted thrice against Valmontone City in the group stage of the Lazio Cup.

Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem (Goalkeeper)

Dheeraj Singh loved playing sports in school, but unlike a lot of his teammates, never thought of playing for the national team or participate in the FIFA World Cup. While playing for the local Bisnupur district, Singh was picked to play for Manipur’s junior team. Subsequently, he was chosen to train at the AIFF Academy which led to him finding a place in the U-14 Indian team.

Though his journey to the World Cup squad has been nothing short of brilliant, Dheeraj brings with him the experience of playing in the 2013 SAFF U-16 tournament and the AFC U-16 championship.

Boris Singh (Defender)

Despite a paucity of resources and parents who had different plans for him, Boris Singh remained intractable in his pursuit to become a footballer. One of the eight players from Manipur in the Indian World Cup squad, Singh once played football with a tennis ball because it was “what they had at that time”. After the family’s local grocery store had to be shut down, Boris’ father started working on daily terms and wanted him to concentrate on his studies.

But Boris had other plans.

Football was something which gave me freedom. I could do what I wanted to do on the field and it felt amazing. It gave me another life.

He went on to play in the AFC U-16 championship and was India’s key defender in this year’s Four-Nation Tournament in Mexico. However, Boris will be missing India’s first World Cup game against USA because he received a red card against Iran in the AFC U-16 Championship in Goa last year.

Read: Know Your Under-17 World Cup Stars: Defender Boris Singh

Aniket Jadhav (Striker)

Growing up in a football crazy Kolhapur (Maharashtra), Aniket started training at his school Krida Prabodhini in Pune at a young age. He then joined the Pune FC's under-15 team and eventually made the U-17 side. The 17-year-old was among the 10 players who were picked by former Germany and Bayern Munich legend Paul Brietner to represent India at the FC Bayern Munich Youth Cup in 2010. Jadhav was selected as a striker for the U-17 World Cup squad from a trial in Mumbai. In fact, he had started playing as a left-back and had auditioned as a left-winger.

Read: Under-17 World Cup: Meet Members Of The Indian Team
Know Your Under-17 World Cup Stars: Striker Aniket Jadhav

Rahul Kannoly Praveen

The son of a dog-breeder from Thrissur in Kerala, Rahul Kannoly Praveen was encouraged to play football at a young age by his uncle. Though his school in Mukkattukara did not have a team, Rahul taught himself the skills and rules while playing with his friends. Former Kerala Santosh Trophy coach M Peethambaran spotted Rahul during a coaching camp in 2011. He was picked for the U-14 State Football Championship team and subsequently, the U-14 National Football Championship at West Bengal in 2013. The 17-year-old had been part of the national-level football camps for the past three years.

The remaining players in the squad are:

Goalkeepers: Prabhsukhan Gill, Sunny Dhaliwal

Defenders: Jitendra Singh, Hendry Antonay, Namit Deshpande

Midfielders: Ninthoinganba Meetei, Lalengmawia, Nongdamba Naorem, Md. Shahjahan

Forwards: Rahim Ali

(With inputs from PTI.)