Indian Football’s Next Big Stars
These Players have the Potential to take the Blue Tigers to the Next Level
The 50’s and 60’s saw a golden era in Indian football, as Syed Abdul Rahim’s men won gold in the Asian Games, qualified for the 1950 World Cup, and finished runners up in the 1964 AFC Asian Cup. Since then the Blue Tigers went through a decline as other sports, predominantly cricket, took over the culture of the country. However, a turnaround has been underway since 2001 and the sleeping giant is slowly and surely waking up. Therefore, it is interesting and necessary for fans and the rest of the world to know about these rising talents of the Indian game.
Bikash Yumnam — Center Back
The first Indian to be named to the Guardian’s list of 60 Footballers for the Next Generation, the 17 year old is “Composed on the ball, a great reader of the game,” in the words of John Duerden — the Guardians Asian football expert. The most notable and exciting trait in Yumnam’s kit is his long throw-in which push the physics engine of the real world to its limit. He can throw a long ball into the penalty area from almost anywhere in the opposition’s half. Ranjit Bajaj, the man who runs the Minerva Academy in Punjab, stated, “He could get the ball into the danger from the mid-line!” He has even earned praise from Liverpool’s famous throw-in coach Thomas Gronnemark. The throw-in is increasingly developing into a important tactic in the modern game. Iceland’s magical Euros run was marked with long throws. Liverpool and other big clubs have been developing their own throw-in tactics to minimize possession loss and create dangerous chances. The intelligent Yumnam could be the man to not just take India to the next level but truly harness and craft the throw-in into one of the deadliest set pieces. The potential of the Punjab FC player is titanic, and now that his name has been published alongside the best young talents in the world, it will not be a surprise if a European move awaits.
Vikram Pratap Singh — Forward
A quick player, he keeps the game simple but that does not mean he is not a baller. He is a great carrier of the ball and is able to create chances for himself and others. His intelligent movement always makes him dangerous. His ball control is solid, and his finishing is improving steadily. He has captained the Indian youth teams, so he knows how to lead and deal with the pressure. A master at winning set pieces in and around the box, this is an intelligent player capable of one day succeeding Sunil Chhetri as the offensive leader for the Indian National team. The 18 year old currently plays for Mumbai City FC in the Indian Super League, but a move to a bigger Asian team could be a possibility. If he continues to develop at his current rate he might find himself in the Americas, or the lower leagues of Europe. If anyone wants to follow an entertaining and intelligent player Vikram is the recommendation.
Amarjit Singh Kiyam — Midfielder
Dubbed the Daniele de Rossi of India, an energetic young player capable of playing as a box-to-box or defensive midfielder, he is an absolute warrior. “Amarjit’s energy transmits to each one of us. He was somebody who was the standard for everyone,” high praise from Indian legend Sunil Chhetri for the 19 year old who broke into the Indian senior set up in 2019. Kiyam captained the U-17 Indian World Cup squad and many believe him to be the future captain of India as well. “If you tell him to fight with a wall for three hours, you will come back to see that he is still fighting with the wall,” stated Chhetri. A hardworking, hard tackling leader who is capable of making clever runs into the box for a goal, Kiyam can be a mainstay of the Indian Super League with current club Jamshedpur FC. However, a move to a big Asian club or a physical tactical league could be in the books for the Manipur-born talent.
Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem — Goalkeeper
A top goalkeeping prospect, Moirangthem almost joined Scottish Premiership side Motherwell FC on a three-year deal; however, work permit issued prevented the move. The 20 year old has some way to go before he can sit in between the sticks for India, but he can be the successor to Indian icon Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. A future European move to a country with friendlier work permit laws is a significant possibility.
Mohammad Nawaz — Goalkeeper
At 20, he is the youngest starting goalkeeper in the Indian Super League, and he has kept 5 clean sheets with 42 saves for a consistent FC Goa side in the 2019-2020 season. He was snubbed for the U-17 World Cup squad and since then he has been powering his way through to challenge Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem for the future starting spot on the national team. He is a bit on the shorter spectrum of goalies, but he is a solid short-stopper who is also comfortable playing with his feet. His ability with the ball fits perfectly with FC Goa’s possession heavy style. The biggest test of his career will come in the Asian Champions League, where he enters as a young star on a table topping FC Goa side. Only big things are to come from this player, a future European or a big Asian move awaits him.
Sumit Rathi — Center Back
The 2019–2020 ISL Emerging Player of the Year Award winner broke into the title-winning Kolkata team and kept Indian international Anas Edathodika out of the squad in the second half of the season. The 19 year old center back, who is also capable of playing as a left back, has a unyielding fighter’s spirit, a positive mentality, and shows maturity beyond his years. He rarely puts a foot wrong and is a standout performer on a very good ATK Mohun Bagan team. A future move to a bigger league in Asia could be in the books for Rathi, but with his mindset and intelligence it will not be a surprise to see him bossing it in a European league.
This article is the first in the series: Around the World, Game Changers and Rising Stars.
Sources:
Nag, U. (2020, October 09). India’s Bikash Yumnam named among top global teenage football talents. Retrieved October 11, 2020, from https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/stories/news/detail/bikash-yumnam-indian-football-player-guardian-top-60-under-18-players/
Selvaraj, J. (2020, October 08). How ‘Delap throws’ helped Bikash Yumnam gain international fame. Retrieved October 11, 2020, from https://www.espn.in/football/indian-i-league/story/4204177/how-delap-throws-helped-bikash-yumnam-make-guardian-next-generation-list
Vikram Pratap Singh — Player profile 20/21. (n.d.). Retrieved October 11, 2020, from https://www.transfermarkt.us/vikram-pratap-singh/profil/spieler/642350
Indian Football Edits 2.0. (Channel). (2020, July 10). Vikram Pratap Singh II Future Star — Indian Football II Skills & Goals 2020 [Video file]. Retrieved November 11, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkF3jTcRuC8
Nag, U. (2020, September 29). Indian football’s Generation Next: Players to watch out for. Retrieved October 11, 2020, from https://www.olympicchannel.com/en/stories/features/detail/best-young-indian-football-players-emerging-future-stars-under-17-21/
Amarjit Singh — Player profile 20/21. (n.d.). Retrieved October 11, 2020, from https://www.transfermarkt.us/amarjit-singh/profil/spieler/468148
Sumit Rathi — Player profile 20/21. (n.d.). Retrieved October 11, 2020, from https://www.transfermarkt.us/sumit-rathi/profil/spieler/618503
