Footballer Bimal Gharti Magar : The New kid on the block

Upcoming   Bimal Gharti Magar is an extremely gifted footballer from Butaha in Nawalparasi district, West Nepal. There   is a   general consensus among coaches, fans and sport writers that the highly touted youngster has    superstar qualities.

At the age of   15,   he   made his international   debut   against Bangladesh in a friendly international, thus becoming the  country’s  youngest footballer ever   to play for the   senior national team.

Former   national coach Krishna   Thapa   is all praise for the   youngster. He is very convinced   that he has the talent to become a future   star.

Under - 14 coach   Sunil Shrestha     has trained   Magar and knows him better than anyone else.  He agrees one hundred   percent with Thapa.

“He is a very bright prospect and   I am looking forward to seeing him reach   his full potential,” says Shrestha . 

Magar   spearheads   the new generation of    exciting and promising Nepali footballers. The incredibly talented   16 year old   is the most   talked about footballer   in   the country at the moment.

Obviously, he is the   cynosure of all eyes. Like any aspiring and budding   footballer, Magar   has lofty dreams. He   cherishes playing   for the   senior national team, score   goals ( many as possible) and  win tournaments.

By all accounts, he gives the impression that he   is    ready   for the big stage. He is fully aware of the murderous   challenges   of   high-level competitive   football that lie ahead.

He is hell bent, though, on   climbing the mountain   of   success, no matter what. Tall and lanky Magar possesses all the characteristics of a quality striker.

He is remarkably   strong in the air, a clinical finisher, nibble-footed   and   uses both feet effectively. Besides, he is equipped with a   lethal and devastating left   foot.

Magar has   a knack   for scoring goals and has proven over and over that he   can score. He was a five year old   when   he started playing in  his own neighborhood,  and   since then  he has   not  looked back.

He quickly   worked   his way   into  his school (Elite Boarding) football team and eventually became  a key player.

It was   during the 2011 Subroto   Mukherjee Cup football tournament in New Delhi, India he took the limelight  to  capture the hearts and minds of coaches.

He played a pivotal role   in the team (Elite Boarding school) winning the Subroto Cup.  His livewire performance   earned him   immense praise from   everyone and   was  richly rewarded with a place in the   U-14 national team.

Besides, he   was selected for   the   All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) Technical   Center in Butwal  and   later moved to Central  ANFA Academy.

By scoring   eight goals, which included a  superb hat- trick against Sri Lanka   In the AFC -14  Youth Football festival held in Kathmandu the youngster   proved that his  performance  in New  Delhi was not a mere  flash in the pan.

The emergence of     a   quality player like   Magar  brings hope and   is bound to  give a   huge   boost to   the national team on the offensive side.

At a time when the     present    crops   of   forwards have   failed mightily, he is the new kid on the block who can have a significant   impact on the team when it comes to scoring goals.

The fact of the matter is that  Nepal has  squandered countless  international matches that should have been won  mainly because  of forwards inability to score.

Now having said all that,  young  Magar  is  gradually blossoming into a complete player  but has a long way to go. He still   needs   professional   care  and  proper nurturing   to make it to the big time.

Should   he live to his full potential , I have no hesitation in saying that he is destined for greatness.  The big question is :  Can Magar fill  the void left by   all time two great  scorers  Ganesh  Thapa (President of ANFA) and Hari Khadkha ?

For a young   footballer   like Magar raring to go, the transition   will   be   very challenging.   He definitely needs   experience and time   to gel  as a team. That means he will   require   adequate quality playing time to mature into a quality player.

I strongly feel he merits   a   place in the national team. If he  gets selected , it would be  a  blunder  and waste of talent if he is made to  spend much  of  his time on the bench .

Magar will be under the spotlight again in the South Asian Federation Football  Championship U-16, starting in Kathmandu from  20 July.