Lallianzuala Chhangte – ‘the new kid on the block in Indian football’
When the Indian team for the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship was announced hours before India’s match against Sri Lanka, football fans in India were surprised by two names on the list - Lallianzuala Chhangte and Koushik Sarkar - two players who hadn't even played top division club football till date.
Googling was the next process, how did these two literal unknowns - even to hardcore India football followers - make it to the National team? The usual chain of events followed. Stephen Constantine, who was in the firing line for India’s failures in the World Cup qualifiers again earned the ire of the fans. The logic behind the selection seemed flawed from every angle. Until, that left-footed shot from Chhangte crashed into the far corner of the net in the 81st minute of the match against Nepal.
The 18-year old Mizoram boy, who made history by becoming the youngest player to represent the Indian national team, also added another one to the history books with his strike to become the youngest Indian to score an international goal. He went on to score another goal to his tally before the hooter to announce himself as the ‘new kid on the block in Indian football’.
The young gun was picked up by the DSK Shivajians’ Liverpool International Football Academy in 2014, and he showed his potential in the 2014–15 I-League U19 competition by scoring 16 goals to finish as the leading scorer. Impressed by the forward-cum-winger’s ability, India U-19 coach Lee Johnson selected the Mizo boy to the Indian team for the 2015 FAM-FRENZ Asia U-18 Champions Trophy. Lallianzuala continued his good run in the ongoing re-formatted 2015–16 I-League U18 by scoring nine goals for DSK Shivajians U-18 to catch Constantine’s eye.
Lallianzuala Chhangte’s rise to the national team was not an accident; it was part of a specific scouting plan by the Indian football team coach.
"My mission is to set up a successful scouting network. I want to touch everything from the State Leagues to the national level tournaments to the Universities. I am sure that there are hundreds of players who are capable of playing for India. We need to widen the net. No country can progress in football without a proper grassroots and youth development programme," Stephen Constantine had said after his appointment as coach of the Indian team in February.
True to his words, Constantine has unearthed a gem from Indian junior league by handing Lallianzuala a chance in the national team.
“There are talents like Lallianzuala all over the Country. You just need to look out for them. It was during a Tournament that Lee Johnson and myself picked him up for the U-19 National Team. He was a part of the DSK Academy who are doing a good job,” Constantine said in one breath after the match against Nepal.
Constantine had picked a total of five players from the U-18 I-League and Calcutta Football League (CFL) in his 40-member probables for the SAFF cup.
The coach also cautioned everyone (including me) from getting carried away by one performance from the 18-year old, by pointing towards the long journey Zuala needs to travel.
“But when an 18-year old scores two goals in a match there have been instances that they tend to get carried away. The boy needs to keep his feet on the ground and he still has a long way to go.”
As India moves to the semi-final preparations, Indian football fans will be thanking Constantine for the best Christmas gift ever in the form of Zuala. The ‘new kid on the block’ has surely reignited the hopes of football fans in this country and long may that continue.
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