India's first FIFA WC scorer was initially rejected for team

India's first-ever FIFA World Cup scorer, Jeakson Thounaojam, was rejected by national selectors in 2015 due to his height. When the then India U-17 chief coach Nicolai Adam visited Chandigarh Football Academy, he felt six-foot-tall Jeakson was "unnaturally tall" for a 14-year-old. Jeakson was selected when he led Minerva Academy FC to a win against India U-17 in March 2017.