Sanjeev Stalin seals move to Portugal top flight CD Aves

PANAJI: Sanjeev Stalin has finally sealed a move to Portuguese top-flight club CD Aves.
The 19-year-old defender, who was part of the India squad for the FIFA U-17 World Cup and took the corner-kick from which India scored their only goal of the tournament, has been training with the club for four months now and completed the transfer formalities on Tuesday.
According to sources, Sanjeev has signed a two-year contract and will be playing for the club's under-19 and under-23 teams at the moment.He will be given a chance to impress senior team officials as well, and if he does manage to catch the eye, another improved contract will be on the table.
CD Aves are at the bottom of the 18-team Portuguese Primeira Liga with just 12 points from 20 matches. The club, though, has shown signs of improvement in the last four games, winning two of them. Should they continue the same form, they can overtake the likes of Portimonense SC (14 points), Futebol Clube Pacos de Ferreira (16) and Clube de Futebol Os Belenenses (18).
"We had to get all the paperwork in place. It took some time. I am glad that this transfer is now a reality," his representative Joseph Mohan told TOI.
A left-back from Bengaluru, Sanjeev is a product of the Chandigarh FA and impressed during a friendly with AIFF Academy before he was drafted among the under-17 reserves. A bout of viral fever meant he spent two weeks in a hospital, but when he recovered, he caught Nicolai Adam's eyes during the coach's surprise visit to the reserve camp.
Even when Nicolai left and was replaced by Luis Norton de Matos, Sanjeev remained the first choice for the left-back position and his ability with free-kicks and corner-kicks stood out. He scored the opening goal for India against United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the AFC U-16 Championship 2016 with a stunning free-kick.
Once the U-17 World Cup came to an end, he did duty for Indian Arrows, making 28 appearances in the I-League over two seasons and three in the Super Cup.
Sanjeev, however, is not the first Indian footballer to ply his trade in Portugal. Sunil Chhetri spent a season with Sporting Clube in Lisbon, while last season Sahil Tavora joined GDSC Alvarenga in the third-tier of Portuguese football.