Nongdamba Naorem, all of 17, was the talk of the Indian football world after scoring a stunning solo goal for Indian Arrows against the much senior Shillong Lajong in an entertaining I-League on Tuesday. Coming on as a substitute in the 75th minute, he scored ten minutes later to seal the young team’s 3-0 win.
An early contender for goal of the season, Naorem’s 86th minute strike saw him he cut in from the left channel and dodged past six Lajong players before slotting the ball past an onrushing goalie into the net.
The Manipuri player, who will turn 18 on January 2, said that this was the best goal of his career.
“I love to watch Eden Hazard dribbling and scoring goals. I love to dribble. So I dribbled and got past a couple of (Minerva) defenders and then suddenly I realised that I can score the goal. I cannot believe that I have scored that goal,” Naorem said after the match at Ambedkar Stadium.
“When I dribble, I can attract more opposition players to me and that gives space to my team-mates. So I also try to create space and chance for my team-mates by my dribbling,” he added.
Watch the wonder goal
The 17-year-old also insisted that dribbling in football is about skill and not just the physicality. “Look, players like Lionel Messi and Isco are the examples. Football is not about physicality, it is about playing intelligently. I just tried to keep the ball away from them,” he said.
Incidentally, Naorem drew numerous comparisons with Messi on social media after his wonder strike. The swift footwork and flitting through defence was reminiscent of the slightly-built Barcelona star’s moves on pitch.
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