Under one Umbrella : The favourites of today's India U-17 stars

Published at :October 3, 2017 at 5:04 PM

Modified at :October 3, 2017 at 5:04 PM

We reveal the contemporary idols of Indian football's young stars.

The FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017 is just around the corner and the excitement for the biggest tournament in Indian football history is now beginning to reach a fever pitch. The young players carry the hopes of almost 1.4 billion people as they head into their biggest challenge so far. While these Tigers have shown extreme calmness and maturity in the past few months of preparation for the tournament, much like others, they also have their favorites.

Be it players who inspired them or somebody else, or their favorite food or celebrities, these players were all asked about things they were fans off. While they may be celebrities in their own right as of this moment, these young lads are just as normal as everyone else in the country and have favorites like any other person. So Let's have a look at the favorites of the Indian U-17 who will be playing in the World Cup.

Boris Singh Thangjam

Hailing from Manipur, Boris Singh Thangjam has been a vital part of India's defense in the past year. The defender has been pretty open about his favorites as he revealed his favorite players to be the electric Bengaluru FC winger Udanta Singh and Cristiano Ronaldo, while his favorite football teams are NorthEast United FC and Real Madrid. The Manipuri defender also revealed his favorite actor to be the legendary Raj Kumar, proving to have a good taste in other things in life.

Jitendra Singh

Jitendra Singh has been another hard-working defender for the India U-17s as he already has 28 caps for the country. Singh was also questioned about his favorite players, to which he replied to be India captain Sunil Chettri and energetic Chilean midfielder, Arturo Vidal. He is also an avid fan of boxing, while his favorite actor is Shah Rukh Khan proving how he has a range of interests apart from football.

Anwar Ali

Anwar Ali has only recently broken into the Indian U-17 team, but his impressive form earned him a place in India's U-17 World Cup squad. The strong central defender cites Sergio Ramos and Sandesh Jhingan as his inspirations in football, as he tries to learn from them to improve his gameplay. His favorite clubs are the Delhi Dynamos and Real Madrid, while Ali's favorite movie is Sultan. He actually made a confession of cricket being his first love which definitely keeps him apart from the rest.

Nongdamba Naorem

Nongdamba Naorem is turning out to be quite a exciting midfielder for India U-17 and he cites some really entertaining players as his idols as well. Naorem has cited Jackichand Singh and Antoine Griezmann as his favorite players as he tries to imitate them in his gameplay. His favorite teams include NorthEast United FC and Manchester United and he actually started off as a goalkeeper in his youth! Naorem also loves Johnny Depp and the Pirates of the Carribean movies, indicating his love for style.

Sanjeev Stalin

Sanjeev Stalin has to be one of the brightest talents in the Indian U-17 squad and having already played 29 matches for the country, he's got a lot of experience under his belt. Stalin states that his father Stalin senior is his footballing inspiration along with the great Diego Maradona, while his favorites teams include Lucky Star and Arsenal. Stalin is also an avid fan of A.R. Rahman. His family actually owns a jersey shop in Bengaluru as the young colt is doing his parents proud by appearing in the FIFA U-17 World Cup.

Suresh Singh Wangjam

Suresh Singh Wangjam has asserted himself as a calm midfielder for India U-17 as he shows great maturity in the middle of the park. Wangjam has been trying to learn from the best, as he cites his favorite players as Indian midfielder Milan Singh and German wizard Toni Kroos. His favorite teams include NorthEast United and Real Madrid as he has stated that it's his dream to play for the Indian national team. Wangjam also started off initially as a goalkeeper in his career.

Amarjit Singh Kiyam

India U-17 captain Amarjit Singh Kiyam has a lot riding on his shoulders, but he has shown immense leadership skills to get the honour of leading the side. Kiyam has been brilliant in the middle of the park for the young colts and as he cites Udanta Singh and Andres Iniesta to be his favorite players and he loves to watch Akshay Kumar's films. His personal hobby is actually hairstyling, as we can expect our captain to pull off some stylish hairstyles as he aims to lead his team to glory in the World Cup.

Khumanthem Ninthoinganba

India's #7 has made quite the impression in the past few months to get selected for the World Cup squad and Ninthoinganb is quite the exciting player in the team. He cites Sunil Chettri and Cristiano Ronaldo to be his idols, while his favorite teams include Bengaluru FC and Real Madrid, while his favorite movie is Kal Ho Na Ho. Ninthoinganba is also trained in taekwondo as we can expect to see this physical player cause problems to opponents defense and help India put on an attacking charge in their matches.

Mohammad Shahjahan

Mohammad Shahjahan hasn't really made many appearances for India, but he's impressed Luis Norton de Matos enough to be picked for the World Cup squad. Shahjahan also spoke about his favorite players which include Sunil Chettri and Cristiano Ronaldo, with his favorite teams being Bengaluru FC and Real Madrid. When he's not on the football field, Shahjahan likes to play carrom and is a big fan of Salman Khan.

Rahul Kannoly Praveen

Rahul Kannoly Praveen has been a versatile player for India U-17 and will look to use intelligent gameplay in the World Cup. Praveen has cited I.M. Vijayan and Cristiano Ronaldo to be his footballing idols and he supports Churchill Brothers and Real Madrid. Praveen has also stated his uncle to be his biggest inspiration in life and while he's not following football, he likes to follow boxing.

Komal Thatal

Komal Thatal has been a really entertaining player for the India U-17 team and is one of the stars heading into the FIFA U-17 World Cup. The tricky midfielder has cited Eugeneson Lyngdoh and Philippe Coutinho as his favorite players and supports NorthEast United FC and Barcelona in football. In other things, Thatal also loves to eat momos and has admitted to being a big fan of Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone.

Aniket Anik Jadhav

Aniket Jadhav is expected to lead the line for India in the World Cup and will be vital to the team's success in the tournament. Jadhav has been trying to learn from the best as he cites C.K Vineeth and Neymar as his favorite players, while he supports Barcelona. While he's not practicing on his football, Jadhav likes to play tennis to keep himself in perfect shape and has also stated that his sporting idol is Sachin Tendulkar.

Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem

Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem is India's No#1 and will need to be at his best for India to give competition to the difficult teams in the tournament. Moirangthem has cited Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Petr Cech as his football idols while admitting to supporting Bengaluru FC and Real Madrid. While he's not training, Moirangthem likes to play Badminton as another sport and has said that he likes to listen to pop star Ellie Goulding's songs when he's unwinding.

Lalengmawia

Lalengmawia has shown himself to be a really skillful player in his matches for India U-17 and can be a real attacking threat for the team in the World Cup. Lalengmawia has stated that his football idols are Lalrindke Ralte and Lionel Messi and that he supports Aizawl FC and Barcelona in football. He's also said that he likes to relax by listening to songs by Bruno Mars.

Prabhsukhan Singh Gill

Prabhsukhan Singh Gill is another impeccable goalkeeping talent for India as he's going to accompany Moirangthem in the World Cup. Gill has said that his football idols include Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Gianluigi Buffon, as he supports Bengaluru FC and Real Madrid. Gill comes from a humble family and used to play in Inter Village local tournaments as he's also admitted to being a big fan of Deepika Padukone.

Abhijit Sarkar is another stunning midfielder in the India U-17 squad and will look to make an impact in the World Cup. He has stated that his idol is Cristiano Ronaldo and that he supports ATK and Real Madrid. He comes from a family of footballers as his brother, father, uncle and grandfather were all football players and while he's not working on his football, he likes to sing with his favorite singer being Arijit Singh.

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Jeakson Singh Thounaojam

Jeakson Singh Thounaojam hasn't made many appearances for India U-17 but his impressive work in the preparation tour earned him a spot on the squad. Jeakson has cited Bhaichung Bhutia and Sergio Busquets to be his favorite footballers and he supports Bengaluru FC and Barcelona in real life. Jeakson comes from a sporting family as his parents and siblings are into sports, as he's also a big John Abraham fan.

Under one Umbrella : The favourites of today's India U-17 stars

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