Add one player from Sikkim, and that makes it nine from the North-east donning the India jersey
The U-17 FIFA World Cup that begins on October 6 presents with itself a number of underlying themes: India hosting the first-ever FIFA World Cup, future stars of top footballing nations descending on one platform, among others.
But perhaps the most revealing and relevant of them all is the presence of eight players from Manipur in the 21-member India squad for the marquee event. Add one player from Sikkim, and that makes it nine from the North-east donning the India jersey.
In a country of 1.21 billion people, it's staggering that a state like Manipur, with a population of 28,55,794 as per the 2011 Indian Census, constitutes 39 per cent of India's historic maiden FIFA World Cup squad. What makes these numbers more noteworthy are the various hardships, lack of infrastructure and basic facilities that these players have had to battle through to reach the summit of the sport at their level.
If team's captain Amarjit Singh Kiyam's parents didn't have enough money to even travel to watch their son lead his troops come Friday in New Delhi before some corporates and All India Football Federation chipped in, midfielder Ninthoinganba Meitei's mother sells dry fish in a local market in Imphal.
Much along these lines, each player from Manipur comes with a background of struggle and sacrifice. The extent of it varies, but the battle is constant.
And yet, Manipur manages to gift the country football players as if it's a factory functioning with well-oiled machines.
"In Manipur, there are hardly any private industries," Renedy Singh, former India footballer from Imphal, who is a role model for budding footballers in Manipur, says. "There are only government jobs, and not everyone can become an IAS, IPS officer or doctor. That's why football is so prominent here. And, since players are earning much better out of it now than before, parents do not mind their children pursuing football as a professional career. It's not easy as many players can't make it to the top level, but at least they see hope. They see a goal."
Veteran coach Chaoba Devi, former India women's team captain who is now working as a development officer of grassroots football in Manipur, put the state's strong presence in the U-17 team purely down to grit, determination and passion.
"If you see the conditions here, kids go out and play football without even eating proper food. But luckily for them, the local clubs are taking initiatives to nurture them and ensure that their craze for football reaches a logical conclusion," Devi told DNA.
For eight kids in the India U-17 team, it surely has.
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