It isn’t everyday that a 16-year-old gets an offer from Harvard University, that too for his sporting skills. For Vardhin Manoj, the dream has come true, thanks to his footballing talent.
Vardhin, an 11th grade student at La Costa Canyon High School, California, was offered a place in the Harvard soccer squad after impressing with his goal-scoring skills in the Western Region competitions, and has given his assent to playing for the University’s Division 1 college team.
In the city for a family function, Vardhin said he was primarily a forward and loved scoring goals, but also had the ability to track back to the midfield when the situation demanded.
Vardhin is a United States citizen by birth. His parents, Manoj Prasad and Lakshmy Manoj, are both IT professionals, tracing their origin to Kerala.
Vardhin has been playing at the highest level of age-group football in the US, sponsored by the US Soccer Federation under its development academy. Part of the San Diego Surf Academy’s under-16 team, Vardhin has also been selected for the Olympic Development Programme and been in the California squad for five seasons.
Besides being the top goal-scorer for the Surf Academy for two consecutive years, Vardhin was also among the top-10 scorers for Region IV in 2014.
While Vardhin, who has managed to score impressive grades in academics as well, expressed his keenness to make a career out of football in the European leagues, he insisted he wasn’t averse to trying his luck in the Indian Super League as well.
