Still too young, 3 city footballers called to Under-19 camp in Goa

Their names were certain to feature in the national camp as they had performed extremely well in recent times.

In fact, over the last few weeks, no other junior footballer than Daniel has made such a tremendous impact on both national and international circuits with his goal-scoring abilities. From the AFC Under-16 football championship to the Administrator's Challenge Cup All India football tournament for U-17, Daniel has taken the responsibility of putting the ball into the back of the net on his young shoulders.

He netted 19 times in only five matches to steer Chandigarh Football Academy (CFA), where he trains, to title win in the Administrator's Cup.

Lalramzauva and Mohammad Sajid, who were his team members in both the AFC Championship and Administrator's Cup, have complemented the national team with their impressive performance.

"Only eight players who took part in the recent AFC Under-16 Championship have been called for the camp. It's a great honour for Chandigarh that three of its players have been selected for the camp. It shows how much football has improved in Chandigarh over the last few years. These three players performed superbly well in the AFC Under-16 Championship. I believe it could be the turning point in their lives," said an ecstatic Harjinder Singh, coach of CFA.

It is definitely the turning points in their lives. Still very young to be in the Indian U-19 team, both Daniel and Lalramzauva are 15 while Sajid, the tallest of the three, is only 14. Undoubtedly, they have age and talent on their side to cement their place in the junior and then the senior national teams.

"I am sure if they continue to perform like this, they will face no problems in finding a place in the senior national team. All three of them have what it takes to be top-level football players. They have taken the step and I am sure they will soon achieve their dreams," added Harjinder.

If Daniel's red hot form automatically puts him in the playing 11, then both Lalramzauva and Sajid have an added advantage which make them core members of the team. Both of them have led the Indian U-16 team to great heights in the recent times. Apart from that, Lalramzauva navigates the Indian midfield with his slick and defence-splitting passes and Sajid has the towering physical presence in the defence to rattle the opposition attack. "I am amazed at the way Daniel and Lalramzauva have improved in just two years by spending their time with the Indian U-16 team. No doubt the coaches held them in high regard. Apart from being talented, the hardwork they put in can make any coach happy," added Harjinder.

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