FIFA U-17 World Cup Indian team stars: 10 things to know about midfield dynamo Jackson Singh Thounaojam

India begin their campaign in the FIFA U-17 World Cup against the United States of America on the 6th of October. All eyes will be on the blue colts who, irrespective of the result, will create history and will hope to impress.

The player in focus today, Jackson Singh Thounaojam, is another player from the prestigious Minerva Punjab FC Academy who has made it to the under-17 team for the World Cup. Jackson Singh was the calm and composed captain at the Minerva Academy at the age of 15. He is good at organising the midfield and closing down the opposition. His ability to not lose his cool in tight spaces was impressive when he was at Minerva which earned him a place in the national team.

Jackson's father is a farmer, but he has got all the support from his family as most of his family members were/are sportspersons. Jackson's father was an all-rounder in sports, his mother used to play basketball and his brother is an I-league 2nd division player. He dreams of playing for Real Madrid one day.

The midfielder is one of the Indian players to watch out for at the World Cup and in this segment, we will look at the 10 things that need to be known about this 16-year-old midfielder.

#1 Jackson Singh Thounaojam hails from Thoubal, Manipur and is the part of the large Northeast contingent in the team.

#2 He was born on 21st June 2001.

#3 His favourite player is none other than Indian legend Bhaichung Bhutia, and Bengaluru FC is his favourite Indian team.

#4 Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets is his favourite international player, but his favourite international club is Barcelona's rivals Real Madrid for whom he wants to play one day.

#5 His favourite city is Imphal, Capital of Manipur.

#6 Apart from football, he also loves Mixed Martial Arts.

#7 His favourite actor is John Abraham, and actress is Shruti Hassan.

#8 He likes to listen to Arjit Singh's songs

#9 Amir Khan's Taare Zameen Par is his favourite movie.

#10 Manipuri Food is his favourite cuisine.

Jeakson's short bio

Jackson Singh Thounaojam is a potential gem in the Indian team and let's hope that he will play to his potential and help India to progress in the tournament.

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.