Kathmandu, October 8

Winning is always special and it becomes more special when you win it for the nation. The Nepali youth team recently defended the SAFF U-18 Championship title beating India 2-0 in the last league-round match in Thimpu, Bhutan.

Neighbouring India are dazzling with their debut in FIFA U-17 World Cup as the hosts and participants. The Indian team is excited of the opportunity to showcase their talent, although they lost the first match 3-0 against the USA, and may be some of them would set a landmark like Brazilian legendary footballer Ronaldinho did two decades ago.

Ronaldinho won Brazil’s first FIFA U-17 World Cup in 1997 in Egypt. The 37-year-old Brazilian then went on to win almost every title in football, including the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2005 and the UEFA Champions League in 2006. He also bagged the FIFA World Player of the Year awards in 2004 and 2005.

The Brazilian can be the true inspiration for victorious youths of the Nepali team, although they are not participating in the World Cup. And football analyst Sanjib Mishra believes the Nepali youth players have a bright future if they are handled with care. “There are a couple of players in the team who have a lot of potential and can fill the void in senior squad. They need to be nurtured well as they have capability of becoming a complete footballer although they have a long way to go,” says Mishra, who is also the Development Director and deputy General Secretary at All Nepal Football Association.

Mishra is amazed by the way Nepali players bounced back to defend the title after losing the first match against Bhutan. “It is not easy to defend the title in age-group tournament as the participating teams come with a set of complete new players and the opponents are also not aware of each others,” says Nepali team leader Mishra, who watched the youth players rising above their level at the Changlimithang National Stadium in Thimpu.

Nepal started the campaign with a 1-0 loss at the hands of host nation, suffering to the first ever loss against Bhutan at any level. But the team regrouped and won the remaining matches against Maldives, Bangladesh and India to defend the title. “It is the outcome of the players’ hard work on and off the field,” he says.

The boys have done their jobs, now it’s the turn of ANFA to groom as well as protect them. “Exposure is the key,” says Mishra. “Generally youth players are raw as they do not have experience. These players need exposure and for that we should have a strong league,” says Mishra. “The players also need to be careful while playing domestic matches and most importantly avoid more matches in few days. Rest is essential, especially on hard pitches like ours,” he says.

Mishra urges the players to take the U-17 World Cup in India as a motivation and suggested them to target South Asian leagues in India, Bangladesh and Maldives. “Players should set a target with ‘can do’ mentality and move forward accordingly.” Mishra says the youth team has four to five talented players who can be good replacement in the ageing national team. “Skipper Arpan Karki, strikers Rejin Subba and Prezen Tamang, and midfielder Abhisek Rijal are very good players and they have a bright future,” he said.

Skipper Karki is very excited after lifting the first international trophy. “The feeling of winning the first international title is awesome,” says Karki, who has already shifted the focus on the AFC U-19 Qualifiers. “We can win a lot of accolades as a team and for that all the members of the squad need to work hard,” says Karki. Nepal are pitted against Bahrain, Oman and Kyrgyzstan in the Qualifiers slated for October 31 to November 8 in Bishkek. “All the teams are good and I think there will be a tough competition,” adds the skipper.