Indian youngest player worldwide

Player Profile
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	Name	PRATIK SHINDE
	Age	15 Years
	Position	Central Midfielder
	Current Club	Galveston Pirate SC (US League)
	Represented India At	U-13, U-15

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It has been a rollercoaster ride for this 15 year old wonder-kid so far. Hailing from an extremely modest background with severe financial constraints, Pratik had to face innumerable hurdles to fulfill his dream of making it big in world football arena. However, sheer determination and hard work, coupled with his sincere love for the game, made him overcome all the obstacles to become the youngest Indian player in the history to sign a professional contract with a foreign club side when Texas-based Glavestone Pirate SC roped in the services of this talented Indian youngster for the upcoming season, which will see him playing in Southern Premier Soccer League in the United States.

A student of Adarsha Vidyalaya at Chembur, Maharashtra, Pratik started to play football at a tender age of 7, but did not take the game seriously until he turned 11. That’s when the games teacher at his school recognized his potential and brought him to Kenkre Football Academy for formal football training. After learning the basics of the game, Pratik joined Andheri Football Academy where he started to train under the renowned youth development coach Maloy Sengupta.

Maloy Sengupta, a coach of national prominence, who was also in-charge of India Under-14 national team, turned out to be one of the catalysts in making Pratik realize his immense potential and he encouraged him to pursue a professional career in football. Pratik’s brilliant display for AFA in various age-group tournaments did not go unnoticed and he was selected for the Under-14 team of the famous Stedfast Academy to represent the country in Gothia Cup Youth Football Tournament, Sweden. It’s a tournament which is considered to be the world’s largest talent hunt, with more than 40,000 players participating from prominent academies of 65 different countries across the globe.

It was the much needed international exposure that Pratik was eagerly waiting for. He grabbed the eyeballs in Sweden when he managed to get his name in the scoring chart against Germany Youth Team. His impressive performance in the tournament made headlines in Indian print and visual media. Mumbai-based institutional club Air India offered him a place in their junior I-League side, but Pratik was aiming for something even bigger. Meanwhile, his international trips continued to provide him valuable exposure, as he participated in various age level tournaments in Denmark and Germany, playing for the Steadfast Academy.

Dream of a billion hearts.

-Coach Maloy Sengupta mentored the young boy diligently, as he did not want Pratik to join the bandwagon of other talented Indian youngsters. Mr. Sengupta was confident that Pratik’s mesmerizing display in Gothia Cup, in front of the watchful eyes of talent-spotters from across the globe, will land him an opportunity to train with a reputed foreign club side – that’s the reason they politely declined Air India’s offer.

Maloy Sengupta’s assessment and faith in Pratik’s capability was validated soon as Spanish club Alcobendas FC came calling for acquiring the youngster’s services. It was a moment of reckoning for Pratik, but at the same time, financial constraints forced him to let the offer go as he could not manage a sponsor who could bear his travel and logistics expenses for the proposed trip to Spain. He was disappointed, but did not lose hope and started to practice with even more sincerity and dedication, under the guidance of his mentor Maloy Sengupta.

During the very same time, halfway across the globe at Huston, USA, a very reputed youth football coach was searching the world wide web on his laptop to know more about a promising Indian youngster, who had mesmerized him with his skills in the Gothia Cup. The coach was none other than Brendan Keyes – a famous Irish player during his playing days and also an Olympic Development Coach since 1996. Keyes also held the full FAI Badge and the USSF National Badge for Soccer Management and Scouting.

Brendan was then serving as the Head Coach of Galveston Pirates SC and he contacted Pratik after being impressed with the young kid’s talent.

“He’s just so crafty with the ball, and he’s got a ton of potential.” - said Coach Keyes.

Mr. Keyes and Pratik reached an agreement and the deal was finalized via a video conference. However, nothing had ever come on a platter for the soft-spoken young Indian boy, and this time also it was no different. Pratik was almost in tears when United States Consulate rejected his application for obtaining an US Visa. Moreover, coming from a modest financial background, he could not afford a ticket to travel to US. Pratik’s dream was nearly derailed.

During that moment of crisis, Buldana Urban Co-Operative Society Ltd. come forward to help the youngster live his dream. They sponsored Pratik’s travel expense, visa and insurance. Pirate SC coach, Mr. Brendan Keyes realized the poor financial condition of Pratik’s family and offered him a big helping hand by sponsoring his food, education and all other expenses during his stay in the United States. In the up-coming season, Pratik will be plying his trade in US Southern Premier Soccer League, wearing Galveston Pirates’s jerseynumber 17, under the guidance of an ever-watchful Brandon Keyes.

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Five Interesting Facts About Pratik Shinde:
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1. Pratik is the youngest Indian player in the history to sign a professional contract with a foreign club side.

2. He is also the youngest player worldwide to sign a professional contract with a Southern Premier Soccer League team in US State Soccer.

3. Pratik’s favorite player is Paul Scholes and he dreams of playing for his favorite club-side Manchester United.

4. Pratik’s favorite Indian footballer is Baichung Bhutia, whom he idolizes.

5. A dream very close to his heart is playing for India in a FIFA World Cup game.

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In line with the famous saying  “All is well, that ends well”, it has been a well-deserved achievement for the young Mumbai lad so far, but he still has a long way to go before achieving his dream. The football lovers across the country hope that Pratik will do wonders at the international stage and make the nation proud.Hrmns.co.cc family wishes Pratik all the luck in the world, and hopes that this fairy-tale story of his will motivate numerous youngsters not to get disheartened by the obstacles in life, but to break the shackles and fulfill their dreams.

src: Hardtackle