India U-17 team won hearts, if not medals: PM Modi

'FIFAU17WC was a celebration of football, witnessing wonderful games. India was honoured & delighted to host the tournament.'

The Indian team may not have won medals but the youngsters have won the hearts of everyone, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on the FIFA Under- 17 World Cup during his monthly radio programme.

He congratulated England for winning the Cup after beating Spain 5-2 in Sunday's final while stating that all the teams had displayed their best talent during the tournament held in India for the first time.

In his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat, Modi referred to some other recent sports events like the Asia Cup Hockey and Denmark Open Tennis tournament and hailed India's victory in these.

India won the Asia Cup hockey title after 10 years, while Kidambi Srikanth won the Denmark Open after the Indonesia Open and Australia Open titles, he noted.

Speaking about the FIFA Under-17 tournament which concluded on Sunday, he said there was excitement among the players as well as spectators during such a big tournament.

"The World Cup was hosted successfully and all the teams displayed their best talent. India may not have won the Cup but the Indian youngsters have won the hearts of everyone," Modi said on Sunday.

Earlier, he tweeted, "Congratulations to the youngsters from England on winning the #FIFAU17WC. I also congratulate Spain for a spirited game."

In another tweet, he said, "#FIFAU17WC was a celebration of football, witnessing wonderful games. India was honoured & delighted to host the tournament."