FIFA U-17 WC: Komol Thatal used to practice with football made out of discarded paper and plastics

Goa, Sep 26: Komol Thatal’s parents are tailors by profession and they had never imagined that their son will once represent India in a global tournament.

In his schooldays in Tinburbung village in West Sikkim, young Komol used to play football, made of cloths and newspapers in his locality.

The teenager has travelled a long way and today he's one of the mainstays in under-17 Indian football team for the upcoming FIFA U-17 World Cup.

Komol’s father, Arun Kumar Thatal too was a football player in his locality. He used to play regularly and dreamt of becoming a professional footballer in future. But due to his struggle with the poverty, one day he had to stop playing football.

That might have been the reason why Arun Kumar never stopped inspiring his son and later, following advice from one of his cousins, decided to send Komol to Namchi Sports Hostel.

From there on Komol's journey with football began. A number of prominent footballers who represented India like Sanju Pradhan, Nirmal Chettri have come up from Namchi Sports Hostel.

Komol, while speaking about his rise from Namchi Sports Hostel to the Under-17 Indian team, said, “I used to dream of becoming professional footballer from my childhood. So, I always practiced with passion wherever I practiced. From Namchi Sports Hostel to All India Football Federation (AIFF) elite football academy in Goa — my sole aim has been to excel and I have tried my best.”

Komol hogged the limelight when he played in the BRICS under-16 football championship, held in Goa in last year.

India lost against a fancied Brazil side. But the football fraternity still remembers the stunning goal off a 30-yard long-range drive from Komol.

The midfielder also remembers that incident and said, “Actually, in my childhood, I used to play the game with a ball, made of newspapers and sometimes plastic material. So when I became a professional footballer, it became quite easy for me to control the ball. It was because of that I could perform well against Brazil as I controlled the ball amidst the melee and then unleashed the right footer.”