Anirudh Thapa

Anirudh Thapa

The teenager from Dehradun is one of the AIFF Elite Academy boys that Chennaiyin FC sponsored for a training stint at French lower league club FC Metz.

The 19 year old central midfielder's footballing journey has already taken him to practically every corner of the country. He started out at St Stephen's Football Academy in Chandigarh, out of where he broke into the India U-14 side. Soon he found a place in AIFF's regional academy in Kalyani, West Bengal, where he soon got his first India U-16 cap. It wasn't long before he joined the AIFF Elite Academy in Goa, and became a captain of their team in U-19 Youth League. Soon, he started playing for India U-19, and this is where he caught the eyes of Chennaiyin FC recruiters.

After the training stint at FC Metz, Chennaiyin FC signed him on a long term contract. He was a part of their ISL squad in 2016 and made only one appearance.

But in 2017, things sped up considerably for Anirudh. He was sent on loan to Minerva Punjab FC to play in the top division. He became a regular at his club in no time and at the same time got into the India U-23 team. A few good performances there and he was called into the senior Indian camp. At the recent Tri-Series, he got his first Indian senior cap.

And to conclude a whirlwind of a year, Anirudh is going back to his parent club with a ton of top flight experience and a senior international cap. He has done enough to get a more prominent role in the team this season.