Indian U18 star forward Lynda Kom Serto hungry to score more goals as she bagged the Golden Boot at the SAFF U-18 Championships

The SAFF U-18 Women’s Championship was a stepping stone for the Indian team and mostly for the newly scouted players as some of them will be representing India at the FIFA U-17 World Cup which is scheduled to take place in six month’s time.

There were a few players who did really well at the tournament but one that stood out was Indian striker Lynda Kom Serto. The young forward from Manipur has been brilliant for the U-18 Indian team and feels that she is always hungry to score goals. “I go into every game with the aim of scoring more than I did in the last game. It may not always be possible, but as a striker, it’s a good aim to have,” the 17-year-old striker, said to the All India Football Federation (AIFF) media.

Lynda Kom netted five goals in four matches at the SAFF Championship and bagged the Golden Boot and the Most Valuable Player of the tournament awards. The young forward was very humble even when she was in the limelight as he credited the entire team and the support staff for her success in front of goal.

“I am extremely happy to have won these awards, but this is all down to my teammates, without whose help, I would not be able to score these goals. It is because they had put in all the hard work in defence and in midfield, that I was able to score,” she said. “I want to dedicate these awards to my teammates and to the entire staff in the team, who have been so supportive of me.”

Hailing from the Khoirentak Khunou village in Manipur, Lynda like many has seen adversities and struggles of societal gender norms in her earlier days. The daughter of a farmer and a stationary shopkeeper, Lynda was not always supported by her family to pursue a career in football.

“My father would always scold me whenever I used to come back from the ground. He would tell me to concentrate on my studies instead of playing football. But I always wanted to play,” Lynda reminisced with a smile.

Lynda’s dream gathered momentum as he got through to the SAI Academy after a trial. The trail fueled her dreams and gave her the motivation o keep pushing. She soon started making the right noises in junior football as she went on to represent India in the 2017 SAFF U-15 Championship and was instantly scouted for the Indian U-17 World Cup prospects.

“Once I started playing for the Junior National Team, I think my parents began to see the scope of football. That’s when they started supporting me in my endeavours,” she concluded.