FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017: 10 things to know, Part 4

The FIFA U-17 World Cup marks a landmark event for the country and is a historic moment, not only for Indian football but also for Indian sports in general. It will be the first time that the nation is hosting a FIFA tournament and also the first time that the Indian national team will play in a football world cup. The mega event will act as a catalyst to unlock the potential of the beautiful game and will leave a lasting legacy for all the host cities.

Over the past decade or two, football has found a place in the life of the Indian sports fan. With India’s first ever FIFA tournament just around the corner and in recognition of the increasing excitement about the beautiful game in India, “Football Takes Over” was the first and most apt choice as the official slogan for the tournament.

We bring to you more such interesting trivia and facts as we continue Sportskeeda’s ‘FIFA U-17 World Cup -10 things to know’ series.

1. The longest winning streak in U-17 World Cup is of 7 matches. Four teams share the record - Mexico, Brazil, Nigeria, and Switzerland. Among those four, only Brazil and Mexico will feature in the 2017 edition of the tournament

2. The most goals scored in a tournament was in the UAE in 2013 (172 goals in 52 matches, with an average of 3.31 goals per match).

3. The most attended match of U-17 World Cup remains the 2011 final between Mexico and Uruguay which was attended by 98,943 spectators at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.

4. From 1985 to 2006, Australia was part of the Oceania Football Confederation but played in the Asian Football Confederation from 2007 onwards

5. Excluding the first edition of the tournament in 1985, the highest number of debutants was seven in 1987, 1989 and 2007. 8. In 1987, 1989, 1999 and 2007, the final was decided on penalties and on each occasion, a team from a different confederation came out on top. All other finals were decided in regular time.

Andres Iniesta is amongst the 3 players who have played both the junior and senior world cups and has scored in a FIFA World Cup final

6. Out of those who have played both the FIFA U-17 World Cup as well as the FIFA World Cup, Mario Gotze, Emanuel Petit, and Andres Iniesta are the only three players to have scored in a FIFA World Cup final.

7. With 18 cards under their belt, Gambia holds the record for the most number of cards earned in the U-17 World Cup.

8. Florent Sinama Pongolle of France was the first ever U-17 world cupper to win the Golden Boot as well as the Golden Ball in the year 2001.

9. Among the sides that have played at least ten matches in the U-17 World Cup, Mali has conceded the fewest average number of goals per match, with 0.61 based on a total of 11 goals shipped in 18 fixtures. Les Aiglonnets kept clean sheets in ten of their games.

10. Frank Rost was the goalkeeper of the East German team that participated in the 1989 FIFA U-16 Championship. This would also be the last time “East Germany” would play under that name. Rost, however, was not the only sportsperson in his family. His father Peter won a gold medal at the 1980 Olympic Games in handball, and his mother Christina, also a handball player, won the silver at the 1976 Summer Olympics and bronze at the 1980 Games.

Keep following the series for more wacky and interesting facts about next month's FIFA U-17 World Cup which will be live and exclusive on SONY TEN 2 and SONY TEN 3