If Indian soccer, the chaos. A falling FIFA rating. A revolving-door nationwide coach. The Indian Tremendous League going through suspension as a result of the AIFF and FSDL can’t see eye to eye. It’s not fairly. Followers are stressed, gamers are annoyed, and the dream of seeing India compete with the large boys usually appears like a mirage.
And but, amid all this turbulence, a bunch of boys from Chandigarh quietly rewrote the script. Minerva Academy’s U-14 staff, powered by grit, ambition, and a piece ethic that borders on obsession, simply pulled off one thing so spectacular that the footballing world needed to pause and take discover. Not one, not two, however three of Europe’s greatest youth tournaments in a single 12 months — the Gothia Cup in Sweden, the Dana Cup in Denmark, and the Norway Cup in Norway.
Let’s put that in perspective. These usually are not pleasant tournaments. They’re essentially the most aggressive youth soccer levels on the planet. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Andrea Pirlo, Xabi Alonso, Alan Shearer, Emmanuel Adebayor, Erling Haaland, Ada Hegerberg, and Martin Odegaard — all graced these pitches earlier than turning into international icons. And now, in 2025, a bunch of Indian youngsters has their names etched alongside them.
The treble no one noticed coming
Three tournaments. Three nations. Three weeks.
Minerva’s run wasn’t simply dominant — it was record-shattering. They turned the first-ever staff in historical past to win all three main youth tournaments in a single season. A 26-match unbeaten streak. The largest successful margins in Dana Cup and Norway Cup finals. The quickest objective in Norway Cup historical past — 3.8 seconds. An absurd 130 targets scored throughout the Norway Cup alone, averaging 16.57 per recreation.
The group levels in Norway set the tone. A 25-0 rout over Aksla IL, a 15-0 demolition of F¸rde IL 3, and a 22-0 dismantling of Krokelvdalen IL — 62 targets in three matches with out reply. The knockouts had been no much less cruel. Spherical of 32, 11-0; Spherical of 16, 17-0; quarterfinals, 18-1. The semi-final towards Palestine’s Ramthael Chareef Membership ended 8-2. And within the closing, a Norwegian powerhouse, SIF, barely stood an opportunity towards the Indian storm — 14-1. Each objective was a press release. Each cross a declaration. Each win, a rewriting of historical past.
From Gothenburg to Hjorring to Oslo, Minerva turned Europe’s youth soccer map tri-colour.
Heroes within the Making
The names of the boys who achieved this feat are already getting into Indian soccer lore: Raj, Punshiba, Denamoni, Okay. Chetan, Reoson, Tony, Amarson, Chingkhei, Azam, Rhythm, and Mahtab. However what made this group actually particular was not simply particular person expertise, however collective cohesion. Each objective was shared, each help intentional. Each victory was a staff triumph, a mirrored image of relentless coaching and a disciplined mindset.
Raj ended the European marketing campaign as the highest scorer with 60 targets throughout the three tournaments, nevertheless it wasn’t nearly numbers. The way in which this staff moved, pressed, and executed — the chemistry between midfield, assault, and defence — made them really feel much less like a youth staff and extra like a finely tuned skilled outfit.
The grind behind the glory
Right here’s the factor about Minerva’s fairy story: it wasn’t constructed on expertise alone.
Taking part in in Scandinavian time zones meant the boys needed to adapt to a wholly totally different circadian rhythm. Minerva devised a preparation routine that bordered on excessive: day by day 3 a.m. coaching periods for weeks earlier than departure. Three to 4 hours of drills, tactical workout routines, and conditioning, adopted by meals, restoration, relaxation, and one other cycle of preparation. For youngsters, this routine was punishing; for many adults, it will be almost unattainable.
Adapting to the session timings was the toughest half. We needed to get up at 2:30–3 a.m. for coaching, which made it powerful to regulate our sense of timing. Waking up from sleep was a battle, however we knew we needed to do no matter it took to win,”
Chetan Tiwari
Ahead, Minerva Academy FC
Watch: Inside Minerva Academy
And the preparation went past the bodily. The academy invested closely in sports activities science, together with dietary steering, psychological resilience, and psychological conditioning. Each element — from restoration to weight-reduction plan to focus workout routines — was mapped out. It wasn’t a gimmick. It was skilled, accountable, and exact. In essence, Minerva replicated the requirements of elite European academies — a rarity in India, the place infrastructure and preparation usually lag far behind.
Whereas coach Vineet Kumar Kantiwal celebrated his boys’ historic wins, his thoughts lingered on the Helsinki closing, the place Minerva misplaced 1-0 to Finland’s PK-35. Exterior the very stadium they performed in, he noticed a reminder of India’s 10-1 defeat to Yugoslavia on the 1952 Olympics — a historic low.
Since that loss, Minerva solely grew fiercer, and the boys secured triumphs successively.”
“There was a board outdoors the stadium that mentioned, ‘Within the 1952 Olympics, India got here right here, they usually misplaced 10 towards Yugoslavia. That day, we had been within the closing…and from there we got here to a day when everybody across the stadium, particularly the older gamers, come up and ask, ‘How did you practice them? What sort of schedule did you comply with? What sort of coaching did you give them?’” Vineet Kumar advised exclusivey to India At present.
“Oh my God, what a day that was! Even the foreigners had been asking us about our coaching strategies. These guys had been unimaginable—you possibly can’t even think about it. Sitting right here, speaking in entrance of the digital camera or the boys, it appears simple. However placing within the bodily effort? That’s a distinct story,” he added.
Whereas many Indian golf equipment nonetheless overlook psychology, Minerva has a devoted sports activities science staff managing each diet and psychological conditioning. Abdul Wajid, the academy’s sports activities psychologist, defined that even high expertise can falter and not using a robust mindset. By constructing focus, composure, and confidence from a younger age, Minerva ensured their U-14 boys weren’t simply enjoying in Gothia, Dana, and Norway Cups, they had been able to dominate.
“Expertise alone isn’t sufficient — we have to develop their psychological resilience alongside their bodily skills. That’s why our sports activities science staff focuses not simply on bodily coaching, but additionally on mindset, diet, and total preparation.”
Abdul Wajid
Sports activities Psychologist
Nothing got here at a reduction. Each drill, each session, each additional run within the chilly Scandinavian morning translated into outcomes on the pitch. Sweat turned targets. Self-discipline turned trophies.
Ranjit Bajaj: The mastermind behind the mission
On the centre of this historic run is Minerva Punjab FC founder Ranjit Bajaj. If Indian soccer, Bajaj. Vocal, passionate, typically controversial, however above all, relentless in his perception that India belongs on soccer’s international stage. He wasn’t a distant observer. He was current at 3 a.m. coaching periods, pool restoration, technique talks, and flights throughout time zones.
“If we need to compete with Europe,” he has usually mentioned, “we should put together like Europe.” And the outcomes communicate for themselves. Bajaj’s imaginative and prescient was as a lot about instilling perception and construction because it was in regards to the trophies themselves. He has repeatedly emphasised that he can be simply as glad if one other Indian academy achieved this — as a result of his mission is greater than Minerva. It’s about India.
“I’d be simply as proud if one other Indian academy pulled this off — as a result of for me, it’s about India shining on the worldwide stage, not simply Minerva.”
Ranjit Bajaj
Founder, Minerva Punjab FC
Why this issues for Indian soccer
Let’s not sugarcoat it: Indian soccer is at a crossroads. The senior staff struggles. Administrative battles overshadow expertise growth. The ISL is on maintain because of the impending expiry of the Grasp Rights Settlement (MRA) in December 2025. And but, right here’s a youth staff from Punjab beating golf equipment from Spain, England, Brazil, and Norway — not in one-off video games, however in tournaments with 2,000+ groups, 30,000+ gamers, throughout 50+ nations.
Minerva’s technical director, Surinder Singh, summed it up succinctly:
“Whether or not individuals comply with quite a lot of soccer or not, they need to know that Indians can obtain in these tournaments. Taking part in in them provides that confidence: sure, we will do it. That’s the sort of studying the boys have gained. Every one in every of us in our nation ought to suppose positively: sure, we will do it,” he mentioned.
“It’s necessary to see that it’s not one thing we do for just one month. It’s not only a one-time effort; we have to proceed, to reveal ourselves, and hold going,” he added.
The message was clear: India wanted a win. Not only a trophy, however proof that structured growth, self-discipline, and perception may produce outcomes. These boys delivered it in essentially the most emphatic manner conceivable.
Past the treble: The journey continues
The celebrations are barely over, however Minerva isn’t slowing down. Subsequent cease: the Mediterranean Worldwide Cup (MIC) in Spain. This prestigious event, held within the Costa Brava area, has been a proving floor for legends like Messi and Neymar. For Minerva, it’s the subsequent step in a journey that’s solely simply starting.
Bajaj insists that that is about greater than successful tournaments. It’s about constructing a tradition, creating publicity, and provoking the subsequent technology. He has repeatedly mentioned he wouldn’t care if one other Indian membership achieved these milestones as an alternative — so long as India’s footballing popularity rises.
However make no mistake: Europe has seen. Scouts are watching. Minerva’s gamers are actually on the radar of elite golf equipment. And if the academy has its manner, this treble will not be the top of the story, however the prologue to India’s footballing future.
What makes Minerva totally different isn’t simply expertise or rigorous coaching — it’s philosophy. The academy blends technical excellence with tactical intelligence, psychological resilience, and bodily preparation. Each drill, each session, each meal, each relaxation interval is a cog in a bigger system.
Minerva’s gamers be taught to compete not simply with ability, however with self-discipline, technique, and teamwork. They’re taught to learn the sport, adapt, and execute below strain. And that is why the European treble wasn’t luck. It was the fruits of years of planning, preparation, and unwavering perception.
Vineet Kumar Kantiwal highlights one other facet: the flexibility of those boys to push themselves past limits. “The preparation wasn’t simple, however they embraced it. That mindset — of pushing boundaries, of chasing excellence relentlessly — is what’s going to outline their careers and doubtlessly Indian soccer’s rise on the worldwide stage.”
A Message to Indian Soccer
130 targets in a single event. A European treble. The quickest objective in Norway Cup historical past. And above all, a lesson for Indian soccer: it might rise, it might compete, and it might encourage.
Minerva’s success isn’t nearly glory. It’s about proving that Indian soccer can do greater than take part. It may well dominate. It may well set benchmarks. It may well encourage younger gamers, academies, and even policymakers to put money into correct buildings, coaching, and help.
In a nation the place soccer usually feels overshadowed, these U-14 boys have given the game one thing it not often will get — hope, perception, and international recognition.
The names of Raj, Punshiba, Denamoni, Okay. Chetan, Reoson, Tony, Amarson, Chingkhei, Azam, Rhythm, and Mahtab might be remembered. However the true legacy is the system that produced them: a mix of imaginative and prescient, self-discipline, preparation, and perception.
For each younger participant in India, the message is easy: if preparation, resilience, and teamwork are prioritized, international success is feasible. And for the nation, the message is louder: Indian soccer issues. Indian soccer can obtain. Indian soccer can roar.
The journey continues in Spain. The challenges forward are formidable. However Minerva has already proven the world the usual. And if the academy has its manner, that is just the start of a protracted, superb rise.
Minerva Academy U-14 — keep in mind the title. India is watching, and now, so is the world.
– Ends