Top five players who impressed in India's victorious SAFF U17 Championship 2025 campaign

India lifted the SAFF U17 Men’s Championship title for the seventh time.

India edged past Bangladesh in a thrilling SAFF U17 Men’s Championship final on Saturday to clinch their seventh title. The Blue Colts have once again proved that they are the best team in the subcontinent and are ready to push for a spot in the AFC U17 Asian Cup.

India remained unbeaten throughout the tournament and finished their campaign in a nerve-racking fashion. This tournament has established some youngsters as bright prospects that Indian Football fans will be pinning their hopes on in the years to come.

Take a look at the Blue Colts' celebrations as the India U17 football team beat Bangladesh on penalties in a thrilling SAFF U17 Championship 2025 final to defend their title! #IndianFootball #indianfootballteam pic.twitter.com/JAKsy34RWt

— Khel Now (@KhelNow) September 27, 2025

In this article, we will look at the top five players from the SAFF U17 Men’s Championship who impressed the most.

Also Read: India beat Bangladesh in penalties in SAFF Championship 2025 final to claim back-to-back titles

Rahan Ahmed

Rahan Ahmed has emerged as one of the most promising players for India in the SAFF U17 Men’s Championship 2025. The young No. 9 produced some clutch performances for the Blue Colts in the group stage that helped India confirm their place in the knockouts.

Rahan showed up in critical moments against Bhutan and Pakistan in the group stage to score clutch goals for India. On both occassions India were clueless and had no opening to break the deadlock but Rahan did the rescue act as a ‘super sub’.

Dallalmuon Gangte

Dallalmuon Gangte shone with his consistency in the tournament. He registered himself on the scoresheet on multiple occasions. With four goals, he was the leading goalscorer for India. Gangte was at the forefront of creating goalscoring chances for the Blue Colts.

Not just his creativity, but his sharpness in front of the goal decided the course of the campaign for India. He started the tournament on a positive note with two goals to his name. Gangte went on to add two more goals to his tally, including a goal in the final against Bangladesh.

Azlaah Shah

Azlaan Shah was a late bloomer in the tournament, playing a crucial role in leading India to the seventh SAFF U17 Championship title. Azlaan got limited opportunities in the tournament but he made the most of those opportunities.

For Bibiano, it was Azlaan who brought India on track in the semi-final and final. His goals against Nepal in the semi-final and Bangladesh in the final proved to be decisive. Without his contributions, India could not have finished the tournament as champions.

Gunleiba Wangkheirakpam

India’s attacking prowess was built on players like Gunleiba Wangkheirakpam, who made life hell for the opposition. Gunleiba scored three goals for the Blue Colts in the tournament. He also linked up with his teammates to initiate numerous goalscoring moves.

The most crucial goal that he scored for India was the one against Nepal in the semi-final. Till the 60th minute, there was a deadlock on the scoreboard with India not able to find ways to break Nepal’s resilience. But Gunleiba’s brilliance paved the way for the opening goal, which opened the floodgates, leading India to a 3-0 victory.

Shubham Poonia

An underrated performer for India was Shubham Poonia, who was a central figure in the backline. India did concede goals in the tournament, but Poonia made his presence felt with his sturdy defending. The tall defender was clever with his challenges.

The composure that he displayed while making tackles was notable. Moving ahead, Bibiano will be expecting the same from the defender as India prepares for the all-important AFC U17 Asian Cup Qualifiers.

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