Indian footballer Sanjeev Stalin joins Portuguese club CD Aves

Indian footballer Sanjeev Stalin, who represented the country at the U-17 FIFA World Cup has signed a two-year contract with Portuguese top division football club Clube Desportivo das Aves (CD Aves). The 19-year-old, posted a picture of him on his Instagram handle holding the club jersey on Tuesday.

The left-back was a part of the AIFF Elite Academy batch that was preparing for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup to be hosted in India. After the tournament, Stalin was selected to play for the Indian Arrows, an All India Football Federation-owned team that would consist of India under-20 players to give them playing time. He made his professional debut for the side in the Arrow's first match of the season against Chennai City. He started and helped the team keep the clean sheet as Indian Arrows won 3–0.

Sanjeev Stalin assisted Jeakson Singh for India’s only goal in a FIFA World Cup (U-17) against Colombia. With this transfer, Stalin becomes one of the few Indian players who have been handed opportunities to ply their trade in a top European football league.

Clube Desportivo das Aves is a Portuguese football club from Vila das Aves, Santo Tirso, that plays in the Primeira Liga. They play against some top Portugal clubs like Porto and Benfica, Sporting Lisbon.