FIFA U-17 World Cup Indian team stars: 10 things to know about speedster Boris Singh Thangjam

Boris Singh Thangjam's story so far has been quite a cinematic one. From playing football in school with a tennis ball at a young age to following his passion to play the beautiful game rather than go into a conventional line, the pacy wingback's story seems to be a straight fit for any Bollywood movie!

The 17-year-old pacy full-back, who can also play as a left winger has come a long way in his young footballing career. From proving his talent to his father, who used to take him to practice every day, to becoming one of the mainstays in the recent U-17 setup, the Imphal-born lad is one to keep your eyes on as India go into their maiden World Cup venture. Here is a short video of him talking about his journey so far and his aspirations for the national team :

Here are ten things you need to know about one of India U17 side's main defenders :

#1 Boris is from Manipur's capital city of Imphal and lives with his parents, grandma, his elder sister and his younger brother.

#2 He was born on 3rd January in the year 2000.

#3 Bengaluru FC forward Udanta Singh is his favourite Indian player.

#4 Boris' favourite club is Real Madrid and his favourite international player is Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.

#5 Boris supports North East United in the Indian Super League.

#6 Apart from football, Boris loves to play Badminton.

#7 Boris also is passionate about music and his favourite singer is Linda Thangjam.

#8 Boris, who predominantly plays as a defender, has three goals to his name in 28 appearances.

#9 Boris loves Indian food and considers his hometown of Imphal to be one of his favourite places.

#10 Boris belongs to a simple middle-class family. While his parents wanted him to take up something more conventional like engineering like any other Indian parent, he proved his talent and followed his passion for football.

Boris' short biographical info

The FIFA U-17 World Cup which is all set to start from the 6th of October, will provide young Indian footballers like Boris with the opportunity of a lifetime ie. to represent their national team in a prestigious FIFA World Cup, a dream that lives in the hearts and minds of every footballer. His story of a boy following his passion and getting rewarded for it will serve as an inspiration for plenty of young Indian footballers

One of India's key defensive players, the boy from Manipur has his priorities in check and is focused on doing the best for his country in the tournament and will be one to keep an eye out for.

Stay tuned to this series for more about the Indian team stars who will make the nation proud at the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017.

The FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017 will start on 6th October and the official broadcasters for the event in India are SONY TEN 2 and SONY TEN 3