India scout to hold trial clinics in the UAE in bid to unearth ‘India’s Lionel Messi’

The trials will be held in Dubai at the Indian High School in Oud Metha on Friday and Saturday to see if they can find “better players” than the 22 who are currently training with the Under 17 national team coach Nicolai Adam in Germany.

Lionel Messi on Copa America duty with Argentina. Marcio Jose Sanchez / AP Photo

DUBAI // Abhishek Yadav, the former India football captain, is hoping to find India's "Lionel Messi" in Dubai this week as he holds a two-day trial to unearth talents who could be part of the national team at next year's Under 17 World Cup.

India, set to make their first appearance at a Fifa World Cup when they host the U17 tournament in September-October next year, are determined to put up a good show at home and have decided to cast their net wide in a bid to put together the best possible team.

Yadav, who represented India for nearly a decade, from 2002 to 2011, has been put in charge of the Overseas Scouting Project, which is a joint venture of the All India Football Federation and the Sports Authority of India, and his first stop is Dubai.

The trials will be held here at the Indian High School in Oud Metha on Friday and Saturday to see if they can find “better players” than the 22 who are currently training with the national team coach Nicolai Adam in Germany.

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“We have currently about 22 players in the set-up,” said Yadav, the AIFF’s director of scouting and the chief operating officer of India’s Under 17 World Cup team. “There is a ‘B’ team as well, but we are still looking for more. We are looking to see if we can find that ... Messi.

“At the end of the day, no one can guarantee anything, but we have to make that effort. If we can find a couple of players, it is going to be a huge encouragement for us and we can utilise the same model for the under 19, under 21 and the other age groups. So you never know, this could be a game-changer for Indian football.

“This is our pilot project and we want everyone to be aware about this. We want this news to go viral across the globe because this project has the potential to change the face of Indian football.”

The weekend’s trials are open only for boys with valid Indian passports, born in 2000 and 2001, with the morning sessions, scheduled from 7-10am, open to residents of Dubai, Sharjah and northern emirates, while the evening sessions, to be held between 8-10pm, will primarily cater to residents of Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.

“Back home, we have been scouting for almost a year and 13 of the 22 players currently in training are a product of our scouting efforts,” Yadav said. “The doors, of course, are not closed in India, but we believe we should also give an opportunity to Indians living overseas.

“I have got calls from mothers asking how their sons can participate in these trials. We have a boy coming in from Bahrain. So all this is really encouraging.”

If any of the boys at the trials is able to convince Yadav of his potential, he will have a talk with the national team coach and then arrange for the player to be flown out to join the Indian team, wherever they might be training, for a second, week-long trial.

“I know what quality I am looking for, because I have seen the current team,” Yadav said. “I know which positions I am looking at. So if we find an interesting player, we will call him for a second round of trials with the national team coach to see if he can force his way into our World Cup plans.”

Yadav said if a player fails to attend the trials here he can grab the attention of the scouts by uploading a video showcasing his football skills to a portal, which is expected to be online in twoweeks’ time.

“It is my responsibility as an ex-player and as scouting director to try my best to reach out to as many Indians globally as possible, Indians who can come and contribute towards the success our team at the World Cup,” Yadav said.

“I am ready to go and watch a player anywhere, in the remotest areas. That is why we are planning to launch an online portal as well, where boys can post their videos online. That will increase our reach even further.

“At the end of the day, if the team does well at the World Cup, it will be a proud moment for us Indians, across the globe.”

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