Even on family visits to India, he carried a football with him and kicked it around in local parks. If longevity were not a factor in defining the greatest of all time, then Ronaldinho would certainly be a candidate for his feats during his first three years with Barcelona. From 2003 to 2006, there was no better show in soccer. There have been few, if any, more talented players in the history of the global game, and all too briefly Ronaldinho captivated with his childlike glee at his own achievements, reminding so many of why they fell in love with the sport in the first place.

Ronaldo Nazário

While his selection has stirred excitement among Indian-Australian families and Indian sports fans discovering a new code, Jai remains focused on his own development. If he plays at AFL level, he will become the first male player of full Indian heritage to do so. After a long conversation about the draft, he casually mentioned a maths exam waiting for him the next morning.

His parents encourage him to approach football with ambition and academics with equal seriousness, creating the steady foundation that has carried him through highs and lows. Messi winning the World Cup in Argentina in 2022 was perhaps the biggest Hollywood ending that soccer has ever seen. After losing the 2014 final, it looked like it would never happen for Messi, who had won everything else in the game for club and country, but the crowning moment of his career finally arrived at the age of 34.

It is a role that demands sharp instincts and quick decision-making as much as physical ability. (November 28, 2025) When Australia’s Collingwood Football Club announced, “We’ve got another Next Generation Academy graduate! We’ve welcomed Oakleigh Chargers small forward Jai Saxena, who will become the second AFL player with two Indian-heritage parents,” it marked an important moment for the 18-year-old Jai Saxena, and the culmination of a childhood spent chasing a ball across oversized oval fields. Xavi had so many career highs that it’s impossible to pick just one.

• It is a role that demands sharp instincts and quick decision-making as much as physical ability.
• When asked about the influences who shaped him, Jai did not hesitate.
• It is the moment when a promising player officially becomes part of an AFL club’s list, eligible to work toward a debut in the top league.
• But his most amazing feat is undoubtedly going the whole Premier League season unbeaten with Arsenal in 2004.

Players Status and Registration

For a young forward, the recognition placed him among the best emerging players in the country. Coaches saw talent early, and  he moved into junior clubs, then the Oakleigh Chargers, one of Australia’s strongest youth pathways. Eventually he was brought into Collingwood’s Next Generation Academy, a program designed to support players from multicultural backgrounds. It was here that his football education accelerated. Although drafted by Collingwood, Jai grew up idolising Hawthorn, a different club, and  one of the AFL’s most successful teams. “I have always been a Hawthorn fan, mainly because the whole family goes to Hawthorn so I never had a choice,” he said, smiling talking about how his uncle (mother’s brother) was particularly a big Hawthorn fan, as he remembered those childhood matches.

The Oakleigh Chargers is an Australian rules football club that plays in the Talent League, the top statewide under-18 competition in Australia’s Victoria. Moving further ahead in his sporting journey, Jai has been drafted through the AFL Rookie Draft. It’s a process in which professional clubs select young players from development leagues and give them a contract, training access, and a pathway into senior-level competition. It is the moment when a promising player officially becomes part of an AFL club’s list, eligible to work toward a debut in the top league. For Jai, this means that when the 2026 season begins in March, he will be on Collingwood’s books as a rising forward, learning from elite coaches and preparing to play in one of the world’s most physically demanding football codes.

The club sealed their faith by assigning him jersey number 43, linking him to players who had risen from the same starting slot and gone on to long careers. The original Ronaldo was probably the fastest, most powerful striker running with the ball in the history of the game, capable of variations at pace and able to slow down, keep his head still and shoot at goal with cool precision. All of these virtues were best seen in the 20th century — but the 21st century came up with the best storyline. Twice his knee collapsed beneath him and he was left howling in gruesome pain; many thought the second time was the end of his career. Arguably the best soccer player in the world right now, Mbappé has followed the path of a prodigy.

In football, a transfer is the action taken whenever a player moves between clubs. It refers to the transferring of a player’s registration from one football club to another. The Centralised Registration System (CRS) shall be used to administer and monitor all domestic jeetwin transfers of professional and amateur players.