India U-17 World Cup player Sanjeev Stalin signs for Portuguese club CD Aves

Sanjeev Stalin, who was part of India’s squad for 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup, has joined Portugal’s top-flight club CD Aves. The 19-year-old defender from Karnataka is best remembered for taking the corner-kick which resulted in India’s only goal at the World Cup with Jeakson Singh scoring with the header.

The left-back has signed a two-year contract with the Portuguese club, which is at the bottom of the table with 12 points from 20 matches. They have only won four games besides losing all of the remaining ties.

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For Stalin, the move to the European league comes as a massive jump in his career. He played 32 matches for India’s U-17 side and also featured in four games for the U-20 side.

Former India 🇮🇳 U-17 World Cupper and Indian Arrows 🏹 defender @5sanjeevstalin has signed for Portuguese top-tier side @cdaves1930 🇵🇹✍

Congratulations and all the very best, Sanjeev! 👏#IndianFootball ⚽ #BackTheBlue 💙 pic.twitter.com/ln41tcuUKe

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) February 12, 2020

After the U-17 World Cup, Stalin was part of the I-League side Indian Arrows, where he played 28 matches over two seasons. He also played three matches in the Super Cup. Stalin won’t be the first Indian player to ply his trade in Portugal. Before him, Indian captain Sunil Chhetri played for Sporting Clube de Portugal B, the reserve side of Portugal giants Sporting CP, in 2012.