Who Is Mia Bhuta? Indian-Origin Footballer Makes History At FIFA World Cup

16-year-old Mia Elizabeth Bhuta became the first Indian-origin football player to represent the United States of America at a World Cup. The teenager is representing the nation in FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup being hosted in India.

Mia Bhuta is an American midfielder and will be who grabbed headlines when she made history in the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

Who Is Mia Bhuta?

• Mia Bhuta is an Indian-origin-American woman. Her father was born in Gujarat, India. When he was 16, he came to America for better education and to pursue his passion for tennis.
• Bhuta is a part of the team for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in 2022, making her the first India-origin footballer to represent the USA at the World Cup.
• She made her FIFA World Cup debut against India’s U-17 team at the tournament.
• The USA team won against India with a score of 8-0. Bhuta made history once again after she scored the eighth and final goal in the 62nd minute. Her goal made her the first Indian-American to score for the nation at any World Cup.
• She dedicated her goal to her grandfather and praised her team. She said, "The goal is really special to me. My grandfather is at the hospital going through a bypass surgery, so he couldn't be here tonight, so that was for him".
• Bhuta said, “India has so much potential. There’s so much talent here. The world needs to invest in them more. They need to believe in young girls and give them the opportunities to succeed.”
• The footballer plans on attending Stanford University (enrolling a semester early) and does not plan on becoming a professional football player yet.
• Bhuta said she really values her education and aims on focusing on the same.
• The teenager is a huge Lionel Messi and FC Barcelona fan. She said Messi inspired her to take up the sport and he was the "first soccer player that I looked up to".
• The player currently lives in Mt Lebanon, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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