The crucial goal in the match that ended at 1-1 draw made Magar, who is yet to turn 16, a national hero.[break]
The 15-year-old from Nawalparasi had debuted for the national team last year in a friendly against Bangladesh and became the youngest Nepali footballer to win a national cap.
He had scored seven goals, including a hat-trick, in the SAFF U-16 Championship held in Kathmandu last month. Nepal had finished the age group tournament as runner-up, and Gharti Magar had earned a reputation as an emerging footballer and a roll call to join the national squad. Gharti had also scored a hat-trick against the Al Arabi Sporting Club in Kuwait during Nepal’s Gulf tour for the preparation of the SAFF Championship.
Now, the golden goal against Pakistan last Tuesday has made him a national hero. Hundreds of people call him on his phone and many fans posted their best wishes and sincere feelings on his Facebook Tuesday evening.
Among them, his mother Dhana Maya was one, and her call was the most precious for him.
“As Mom praised me for the goal, I forgot everything. It was a proud moment for me,” said Gharti Magar.
“Not only me but all of us in the team want to win the championship and lift the trophy,” said the 10th grader of Loksmriti School at Satdobato, Patan, who was selected for the ANFA Academy managed by the All Nepal Football Association four years ago.
“My aim is to be the best forward of the national team in the future and to establish Nepal’s identity as a football nation,” said Gharti Magar who was inspired to play the game by his late father Hom Bahadur who was also a footballer and who died in a road accident seven years ago.
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