If you know Indian football, you know chaos. Falling FIFA rating. National coach of rotation. The Indian Super League faces suspension because AIFF and FSDL don’t see the eye to the eye. It’s not nice. Fans are restless, players are frustrated and a dream that India will compete with big boys often feel like a miracle.
And yet, in the middle of all these turbulence, a group of boys from Chandigarh quietly rewritten the script. The U-14 Minerva Academy team, powered by gravel, ambitions and work ethics that borders on obsession, has just downloaded something so spectacular that the world of football people had to pause and notice. Not one, not two, but three of the largest European youth tournaments in a single year – Gothia Cup in Sweden, Dana Cup in Denmark and the Norwegian Cup in Norway.
Let’s do it in the perspective. These are not friendly tournaments. They are the most recurrent football phases of youth on the planet. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Andrea Pirlo, Xabi Alonso, Alan Shearer, Emmanuel Adebayor, Erling Haaland, Ada Hegerberg and Martin Odegaard – all these playgrounds decorated before becoming global icons. And now, in 2025, a group of Indian teenagers has their names elaborated next to them.
Treble, no one has seen to come
Three tournaments. Three countries. Three weeks.
Miner’s run was not just dominant-it was a broken record. They became the first team in history to win all three main youth tournaments in one season. 26-match undefeated lane. The biggest winning margin in the final of Dana Cup and the Norway Cup. The fastest goal in the history of the Norwegian Cup – 3.8 seconds. He scored 130 goals only in the Norwegian Cup, average 16.57 for the game. 2025 Minerva gave the second Gothia Cup after 2023 victory U-13.
The group phases in Norway set the tone. 25-0 Routie over Aksla IL, 15-0 Demolition F¸RDE IL 3 and 22-0 Removal of Krjtelvdalen IL-62 goals in three matches without response. The knockouts were no less merciless. Wheel 32, 11-0; Wheel 16, 17-0; quarterfinals, 18-1. The semifinals against the Palestinian club Ramthael Chareef ended 8-2. And in the finals, Norwegian powerhouse, sif, had a chance against the Indian storm-14-1. Each goal was a statement. Every passage of the statement. Every victory, rewriting history. The winners of Dan Cup and the run continues.
From Gothenburg to Hjorring to Oslo, Minerva turned to the European football map of youth Tri-Color.
Heroes in production
The names of the boys who have achieved this performance are already entering Indian football traditions: Raj, Punshiba, Denamoni, K. Chetan, Reoson, Tony, Amarson, Chingkhei, Azam, Rhythm and Mahtab. But what made this group really special was not only individual talent, but collective cohesion. Each goal was shared, every assistance intentional. Every victory was a triumph of the team, a reflection of persistent training and disciplined thinking.
Raj ended the European campaign as the best scorer with 60 goals across three tournaments, but it wasn’t just about numbers. The way this team moved and executed – chemistry between the center, attack and defense – caused them to feel less like a youth team and rather like finely tuned professional clothes. The Norwegian Cup was a record for mineral.
Grind behind the glory
Here’s the thing about Miner’s fairy tale: it wasn’t only built on talent.
Playing in Scandinavian time zones meant that the boys had to adapt to a completely different circadian rhythm. Minerva invented the preparation regime that bounded the extreme: 3 AM training sessions a day before departure. Three to four hours of drills, tactical exercises and fitness, followed by meals, recovery, rest and other preparation cycles. This routine was punished for teenagers; It would be almost impossible for most adults.
The most difficult part was to adapt to the timing of the session. We had to wake up at 2: 30–3 hours for training, which made it difficult to adapt our feeling of timing. Waking up from sleep was a battle, but we knew we had to do everything we need to win, “
Chetan Tiwari
Forward, minerva Academy FC
Follow: Inside Minerva Academy
And the preparation exceeded physical. The Academy has invested considerably in sports science, including nutritional guidance, psychological resistance and mental condition. Every detail was mapped – from recovery to food to exercise -. It wasn’t a trick. It was professional, responsible and accurate. Minerva essentially replicated the standards of elite European academies – rarity in India, where infrastructure and preparation often lag behind.
While coach Vineet Kumar Kantiwal celebrated the historical winnings of his boys, his mind persisted in the Helsinki final, where Minerva lost 1-0 to the Finnish PK-35. In addition to the stadium in which they played, he saw at the Olympic Games in 1952 to remind the Indian defeat of 10-1 in Yugoslavia-Historic minimum.
From this loss, Minerva only grew harder and the boys secured the triumphs gradually. ”
“There was a album in front of the stadium, saying,” At the 1952 Olympic Games, India came here and they lost 10 against Yugoslavia. We were in the finals that day … And from there we came to the day around the stadium, especially older players, especially older players, and you asked, “How did you train them?
“Oh my God, what a day it was! Even foreigners asked us about our training methods. The guys were incredible – you can’t even imagine it. Sit here, talk in front of the camera or boys.
While many Indian clubs still overlook psychology, Minerva has a specialized sports scientific team that controls nutrition and mental condition. Abdul Wajid, sports psychologist of the Academy, explained that even a top talent can shuffle without strong thinking. By building a focus, peace and trust from the young age, Minerva ensured that their boys from the U-14 did not play only in Gothia, taxes and Norwegian cups, were ready to dominate.
“The talent itself is not enough – we have to develop their mental resistance together with their physical abilities. That is why our sports science team focuses not only on physical training, but also on thinking, nutrition and overall preparation.”
Abdul Wajid
Sports psychologist
Nothing came to the discount. Each exercise, every session, every additional run in the cold Scandinavian morning was reflected in the results on the playground. Sweat became a goal. The discipline has become trophies.
Ranjit Bajai: Mastermind for Mission
The founder of Minerva Punjab FC Ranjit Bajai is on the middle of this historical run. If you know Indian football, you know Bajai. Vocal, passionate, sometimes controversial, but above all, persistent in his faith that India belongs to the global football scene. He wasn’t a distant observer. He was present at 3 hours of training, recovery in basics, strategic interviews and flights across time zones.
“If we want to compete with Europe,” he often said, “we have to prepare as Europe.” And the results speak for themselves. Bajaj’s vision was the same about bringing faith and structure as the trophies themselves. He repeatedly stressed that he would be as happy if another Indian academy was achieved – because his mission is greater than Minerva. It is India.
“I would be just as proud if another Indian academy withdrew it – because for me it’s about India shining on the global scene, not just a mineral.”
Ranch
Founder, Minerva Punjab FC
Why does it depend on Indian football
Let’s not use Sugarcoat: Indian football is at the intersection. The senior team is fighting. Administrative battles overshadow the development of talents. Isl is suspended due to the approaching expiry of the main rights agreement (MRA) in December 2025. And yet there is a youth team from Pandjab, who defeated clubs from Spain, England, Brazil and Norway-no in one-time games, but in tournaments with 2,000+ teams, 30,000 and more players, over 50+ and more than 50 and more players.
Technical Director of Minerva, Surinder Singh, briefly summarized:
“Whether people watch a lot of football or not, they should know that the Indians can achieve in these tournaments. Playing in them gives them this confidence: yes, we can do it. This is the kind of learning that the boys have gained. Each of us should think positively in our country: Yes, we can do it,” he said. “
“It is important to see that this is not something we do for only one month. It’s not just a one -time effort; we have to continue, expose and continue,” he added.
The message was clear: India needed victory. Not only trophy, but proof that structured development, discipline and faith could bring results. These boys delivered it in the most significant way.
Behind the height: The journey continues
The celebrations are hardly over, but Minerva does not slow down. Another stop: Mediterranean International Cup (MIC) in Spain. This prestigious tournament held in the Costa Brava area was a proven reason for legends like Messi and Neymar. For mineral, this is another step on the way that is just starting.
Bajaj insists that it is more than just victory in tournaments. It is about building culture, creating an exposition and inspiration for the next generation. He repeatedly said he wouldn’t care if he had reached another Indian club instead – if the Indian football reputation was rising.
But don’t make a mistake: Europe has noticed. Scouts watch. Minerva players are now on the radar of elite clubs. And if the academy has its way, this height is not the end of the story, but a prologue for the future of the Indian football future.
What the Minerva differs is not just talent or strict training – it’s a philosophy. The Academy mixes technical perfection with tactical intelligence, mental resistance and physical preparation. Every exercise, every session, every meal, every rest period is a gear in a larger system.
Minerva players learn not only with skill, but with discipline, strategy and teamwork. They learn to read the game, adapt and perform under pressure. And that is why European height was not lucky. It was the culmination of years of planning, preparation and unwavering faith.
Vineet Kumar Kantiwal emphasizes another aspect: the ability of these boys to move beyond the borders. “The preparation was not easy, but they accepted it. This thinking – shifting boundaries, persecution of excellence tirelessly – is what will define their career and potentially Indian football rise on the global scene.”
Indian football report
130 goals in one tournament. European height. The fastest goal in the Norwegian Cup history. Above all, Indian football lessons: it can rise, can compete and inspire.
The success of Minerva is not just about fame. The point is to prove that Indian football can do more than to participate. Can dominate. Can set the scales. He can inspire young players, academies and even politicians to invest in the right structures, training and support.
In a nation where football often feels overshadowed, these U-14 boys gave sports something that rarely gets-the nails, faith and global recognition.
Names Raj, Punshiba, Denamoni, K. Chetan, Reoson, Tony, Amarson, Chingkhei, Azam, Rytmus and Mahtab. However, the real heritage is the system that created them: a combination of vision, discipline, preparation and belief.
For every young player in India, the message is simple: if preparation, durability and teamwork are preferred, global success is possible. And for the country, the message is louder: Indian football matters. Indian football can achieve. Indian football can grind.
The journey continues in Spain. The challenges in front of us are impressive. However, Minerva has already shown the world. And if the academy has its way, it is just the beginning of a long, famous rise.
Minerva Academy U-14-Remember your name. India is watching and now there is also the world.
– ends
Published:
Debodinna Chakracorty
Published on:
31 August 2025
