From the sugarcane fields of Malappuram to the Blues’ dressing room, Ashique Kuruniyan’s story is one of grit and determination. Going through the ranks in his district and state teams, Ashique turned out for Pune FC in the U19 I-League before moving to the FC Pune City academy in 2016. A loan deal saw the youngster fly to Spain where he represented La Liga giants Villarreal CF’s reserve team before making his India U19 bow. Among India’s rising young stars, Ashique made his Senior National Team debut at the AFC Asian Cup in 2019 and formed a lethal partnership with Sunil Chhetri and Udanta Singh up front. Having signed with the Blues, he will now hope that the chemistry is forged at club level.