It appears that Liverpool's youth academy in India, DSK Shivajians Liverpool International Football Academy, is turning out world-class talent. On Sunday, Chhangte Lallianzuala – a product of DSK – scored a brace in only his second-ever international cap for India.
Talk about a good end to the year. On Christmas, Lallianzuala became the youngest player ever to appear on the senior national team for India. Two days later, during India's match against Nepal in the SAFF Championships, he scored this gem:
In case you are curious, while Lallianzuala's goal earns him a spot as India's youngest scorer, he doesn't even break the list of the top 70 youngest players to score in international competition. That honor goes to 14-year-old Aung Kyaw Tun of Myanmar, who scored against Thailand in 2000.
While he may not be the youngest of all time, Chhangte Lallianzuala wins points for style. That double step-over followed by a left-footed rocket reminds us of a certain other left-footed player capable of juking entire defenses before planting the ball in the back of the net.
While it's a bit (OK, extremely) early to make any comparisons between Chhangte Lallianzuala and Lionel Messi, it is clear that the youngster has an enormous amount of talent and a bright future ahead of him with the Indian National Team. He is already making waves in India as the top-scorer in the U-19 I-League during the 2014-2015 season. It wouldn't surprise us if we see Lallianzuala playing in one of the world's top leagues very soon.
Related: Mexican 11-Year-Old Hailed As The Next Messi
Merry Christmas, indeed. (Photo: @orbitcollection | Twitter)
