Twelve-year-old Saathvik Reddy hails from the twin cities but is now representing the United States donning the super famous No. 10 jersey. But, it is for the World Futsal Championship to be held in Madrid (Spain) this December.
Futsal is just like soccer but played on a smaller (mostly hard court field) and comprises five players with one of them being a goalkeeper and with unlimited substitutions. It is quite a remarkable achievement for the boy whose parents are settled in the US.
Saathvik represents the ‘Legends’ which incidentally is the same team which the youngster had played for in the US National Championship and had finished runners-up. “We are all honoured to represent the US on the world stage as this is once in a lifetime opportunity presented by the Soccer World Cup Federation. It is a dream has come true for the San Jose Legends under-12 team this year,” exclaimed Saathvik in a communication from the US.
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“It is a great opportunity for youngsters like me to compete against the best and get a perspective as to where we stand in the presence of renowned coaches,” says Saathvik, all excited to showcase his skills in front of the best coaches from other countries. “This is a great moment of joy and pride for all of us. We are already into encouraging Saathvik to raise his own funds for this trip which would cost $4,000 for each player,” say the proud parents. “We are very happy as it is not easy for a youngster from India to reach this stage,” says Sisupal Reddy, Saathvik’s grandfather, a maintenance engineer at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium here.