A goal to be cherished

Jeakson Singh Thounoujam made a place for himself in the history of Indian football when he became the first Indian player to score a goal in the world Cup. India’s second match at the FIFA U-17 World Cup will be a memorable one although they lost  1-2 to  Colombia. Colombia scored the first goal of the match. At the 82nd minute, Jeakson lifted his 6-feet-2-inch frame to head the ball from a corner kick by Sanjeev Stalin to give India its first ever World Cup goal. The whole of Manipur and the nation erupted in cheer as India stood toe to toe with the biggest footballing nations of the world. Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh, who had cancelled all his evening appointments to watch the boys perform was elated and applauded Jeakson and the Indian team. He also congratulated India coach Luis Norton de Matos for the team’s brilliant performance. It was a long journey for Jeakson who hails from a poor family in Manipur His parents wanted him to be a doctor or bureaucrat, but Jeakson was determined to take up football as a profession. He is a defensive midfielder by position. He spent his formative years in Chandigarh at the Chandigarh Football Academy (CFA), nearly 2700 kms away from his hometown. He was only eleven when he left his hometown to work on his football education.  It was his elder brother who recommended the youngster towards the direction of the CFA due to its high-level coaching.