Ali Thameem
Striker Mohamed Ilan Imran has been selected to lead the national team at the U-20 SAFF Championship.
The seventeen-year-old, who had been in impressive form throughout the season, will lead the national team from the front as the Maldives prepares to host an age-group SAFF tournament for the very first time.
Speaking to Sidibari, Ilan said that getting the chance to lead the Maldives is “a huge honor” and “a proud moment for me and my family”. Ilan says he acknowledges that “to represent the whole country comes with a huge responsibility”. But at the same time, he says he is optimistic in Maldives’ potential. “In Sha Allah, we are confident our team can make a difference in this competition”.
As the eighth edition of the U-20 SAFF Championship is set to kick off on Monday, all seven of the SAFF Nations are confirmed to participate.
In order to prepare of the championship, team Maldives had travelled to Singapore and went through a training camp during this Ramadan. Maldives played two games against the hosts, winning the first game by 4-3 as Ilan got his name on the score sheet.
Last year, we saw Ilan make his debut for the senior national team against Sri Lanka, making an assist as a substitute. In September, he made another appearance for the national team as Maldives hosted Tajikistan at the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers.
Ilan had captained Maldives at the U-17 Saff Championship in Bhutan, back in 2024. His strike against Bangladesh helped Maldives draw in the opening game of the championship.
