Ten Indian youngsters who failed to live up to hype

These Indian youngsters came onto the scene with lots of expectation around them.

The Indian football grassroots programme has produced some notable young talents over the last few decades. With more importance being paid to helping identify promising young talents through better training at the youth level, there have been more and more footballers who have broken through to gain the spotlight at a relatively young age.

Over the years, there have been quite a few young Indian talents who were able to fulfil their ultimate potential despite breaking through at a very young age. The likes of Sunil Chhetri, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Anwar Ali definitely come to mind for hyped youngsters going onto becoming prominent players at the senior level.

With that being said, there have been quite a few instances of talented young footballers in Indian football failing to live up to the hype they acquired in their teenage years. Here we look at the 10 Indian youngsters who failed to live up to the hype.

10. Nishu Kumar

Nishu Kumar was a prominent graduate of the AIFF Elite Academy, and his impressive work also helped him become a senior player for Bengaluru FC at the age of 19.

Kumar was a really hard-working and efficient player in his initial years with Bengaluru FC, winning the I-League, Super Cup and Indian Super League (ISL) titles with them!

In fact, Nishu even made his debut for India at the age of 21 in 2018, but things started to go awry for him soon after that. Kumar was not able to prove himself as reliable or multi-functional in the full-backs role (right-back and left-back) as some other efficient full-backs in the Indian football scene.

He joined Kerala Blasters in 2020, but failed to really take that step upwards in his career with them. Nishu joined East Bengal in 2023, but he never really hit that high ceiling with his performances and was often criticised for his error-prone nature.

Kumar has been held back by injuries in his career, but the now 28-year-old defender failed to really hit his full potential after excelling as a young footballer for Bengaluru FC.

9. Gurkirat Singh

Gurkirat Singh started showing signs of a potentially deadly striker from a very young age in his teenage years, as he represented India across multiple levels.

He was a clinical forward for the Blue Colts at multiple levels, scoring 11 goals in eight games for India U20 and also winning the 2022 SAFF U-20 Championship in 2022 with them, scoring eight goals in the tournament.

He was on a real high with his performances in the tournament and Mumbai City FC also promoted him to their senior team.

However, Gurkirat was never able to bring that form for the Indian youth teams into a major tournament like the ISL. Gurkirat only scored one goal in 28 ISL games for Mumbai City, struggling against the intensity of the division and failing to prove himself as a really reliable finisher.

He joined Chennaiyin FC in 2024, but has failed to score a single goal in the ISL and is yet to make his debut for India. For someone who was highly revered as a clinical goal-scorer at one point, Gurkirat was never able to justify the hype around him.

8. Uttam Rai

An unpredictable and hard-working forward in his teenage years, Uttam Rai did so well in his young years that he even spent a year with the Colararo Rush youth teams from 2013-2014. Rai joined Dempo SC in 2014 as an 18-year-old and immediately got fast-tracked into the senior team.

Even though he won the I-League title with the Goan club, Rai wasn’t really able to bring that devastating form he showcased in the youth level after a jump to the professional level. Rai scored just two goals for Dempo before having forgettable stints at Chennaiyin FC and Churchill Brothers.

He went on to play for the Nepalese side Friends Club, but has never looked comfortable in Indian football. For someone who scored eight goals for the India U16 side, Rai failed to make a single appearance for India and failed to pick up his game after returning from Canada.

 7. Amarjit Singh Kiyam

Amarjit Singh Kiyam showcased his leadership skills from a young age, so much so that he was chosen as a standout for the India U17 side that played at the 2017 FIFA U17 World Cup. Amarjit was the captain for that India U17 team, producing some sturdy performances and catching the eye in the World Cup too!

He did a pretty good job playing for Indian Arrows in the I-League before being signed by Jamshedpur FC in 2018. However, Amarjit wasn’t able to take his performances to a new level after joining the Men of Steel.

He made just 15 appearances across two campaigns for them before joining FC Goa in 203 and made only a few appearances for them. Amarjit has had underwhelming stints at Punjab FC and East Bengal, failing to deliver a string of impactful performances and unable to prove himself as a powerhouse of a midfielder.

He couldn’t really pick up his performances after gaining hype with the India U17 side and is currently riddled in inconsistency with Mohammedan SC.

6. Nongdamba Naorem

Nongdamba Naorem was one of the most exciting players to emerge from the India U17 side that played in the 2017 FIFA U17 World Cup. His excellent skills on the ball, coupled with his amazing dribbling ability, made him really entertaining to watch in the early years of his career.

Who can forget his amazing goal scored for Indian Arrows against Shillong Lajong, when he dribbled past multiple players to score in the 2017-18 season? Naorem was signed by Kerala Blasters and then joined Mohun Bagan in 2019. However, it was with the Mariners that he really crumbled under the pressure of expectations.

He only scored twice for the Mariners in the 2019-20 season, before having an underwhelming 2020-21 season with Kerala Blasters. That was followed by poor stints with Mohun Bagan and FC Goa, as he couldn’t score a single ISL goal for them. Naorem’s lack of final product or consistency with his performances hurt him really badly. He’s currently playing for United SC and is definitely a case of ‘what could have been’ had he realised his ultimate potential.

5. Jerry Zirsinga

Jerry Zirsinga is a player to have set a historic record for the Indian football team, only to drop the ball in his career afterwards. Zirsinga made his debut for India at the age of 16, and in November 2004), he scored a goal in a match against Kuwait.

This made Jerry the youngest-ever goal-scorer for India at the age of just 16 years and 311 days, before also winning the South Asian Games silver medal with them.

He was immediately signed by Mohun Bagan, spending two years with them. However, Zirsinga struggled to prove himself as a reliable midfielder, not being able to create or score much or be defensively sturdy either.

He only made five appearances for the Blue Tigers before having forgettable stints at Churchill Brothers and Chirag United. Zirsinga looked like a really promising player in his teenage years, but crumbled under the weight of expectations before almost becoming an afterthought in Indian football.

4. Himanshu Jangra

After coming through the Minerva Punjab FC youth academy, Himanshu Jangra started catching the eye of many fans with his exciting performances at the youth level.

He scored seven goals in five games for India U15 and eight goals in nine matches for India U17, excelling at the Junior I-League competition as well (scoring 18 goals in the 2017 edition).

Jangra’s performances were so good that The Guardian named him in the ‘Next Generation’ to watch list in 2021, causing a lot of hype to be built up around him.

However, Jangra had underwhelming stints at clubs like Mohammedan SC and East Bengal, failing a single goal in the ISL and only managing two goals in 13 I-League games. The now Delhi FC forward failed to amplify his qualities as a reliable goal-scorer, and his drop in performances has seen him become nearly forgotten after a bright youth career.

3. Sumit Rathi

Sumit Rathi’s gritty performances at the youth level in Indian football saw him impress for the Indian Arrows side and signed by ATK in 2018. In fact, he was promoted to the senior team in the 2019-20 season by Antonio Habas, making 14 appearances in his first season and helping his side win the ISL trophy – even winning the ISL Emerging Player of the Season award!

The tough and hard-working defender’s ability to be in the right places and trouble opponents with timely challenges helped him stand through, before things started going wrong in 2020.

Rathi would go on to be demoted in the set-up at Mohun Bagan, and he also started become quite error-prone and injury-prone. He only made 12 appearances in five years for the Mariners, failing to win over any manager with his performances.

He joined NorthEast United in 2025, only to make one appearance and currently plays for Thrissur Magic. Rathi experienced a major downfall in prominence after that breakthrough season with ATK, and he failed to thrive under the pressure.

2. Dheeraj Singh

Dheeraj Singh was one of the standout players for the India U17 side in the 2017 FIFA U17 FIFA World Cup, showcasing a lot of promise with his safe goalkeeping skills.

His impressive agility and shot-stopping heroics helped Dheeraj earn praise from many in Indian football, and he even earned a move to Kerala Blasters in 2018. Despite only being 18, he became a starter for Kerala Blasters in 2018 and actually produced some really promising performances. However, after joining ATK in 2019, things started going awry for Dheeraj.

He only made one appearance for the Kolkata side, failing to assert himself as a good-enough goalkeeper for a top ISL side. He wouldn’t make any appearance sfor Mohun Bagan before joining FC Goa in 2021.

Despite being a first-choice goalkeeper for Goa for the majority of his career, Dheeraj just wasn’t that reliable in the goal. Singh has failed to make his debut for India, despite excelling in his teenage years and is now a second-choice goalkeeper for Mohun Bagan.

1. Komal Thatal

Komal Thatal’s performances for the India U17 side amazed many, as he was one of the top players for the squad that played in the 2017 FIFA U17 World Cup. Thatal earned a lot of praise for his unpredictable playing style and fearlessness, boasting an excellent dribbling ability and crisp final product as well.

He joined ATK in 2018, before things started going pretty wrong for him. Thatal only scored one goal in 15 ISL Games for ATK, before failing to score a single goal for Mohun Bagan.

In 2021, he joined Jamshedpur FC and he even struggled to impress for them. Thatal was just not efficient enough in the final third, failing to create anything prominent in the ISL and crumbling under the pressure of facing some of Indian football’s best players.

He has failed to break into the India team despite making 36 appearances for India U17 and is now struggling to impress for Chennaiyin FC.

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