KATHMANDU: Football does not begin with shoes. It begins with the instinct to chase the ball. When someone runs barefoot until their feet bleed, the path to their dream is already drawn.

There are many such stories in Nepali football. But here, it is about two men: one now respected, the other a rising name for a new generation. Divided by time, united by struggle—their journeys both began the same way: barefoot.

Dev Narayan Chaudhary was one of the defining footballers of the early 2000. Born in the then Sidraha VDC of Morang, he grew up at a time when football fever gripped the nation. But for him, the game began with nothing — not even shoes.

He played barefoot on the rough stubble fields left behind after the rice harvest. It was there, dodging cuts and bruises, that he developed an unusual skill: mastering the art of heading the ball by judging its height in flight.

For Chaudhary, football was never just a pastime. It became a way of life. Driven by that passion, he pursued his dream all the way to the national team.

“Before looking at the goalpost, he measured the height of the ball,” recalls former national team coach Dhan Bahadur Basnet of Dev Narayan Chaudhary. “His head gave him more confidence than his feet ever did.”

Dev Narayan became the first player from the Tharu community to represent Nepal’s national football team. It has been 22 years since his retirement. In that time, talents like Chunniram Chaudhary, Janak Singh Tharu, Bharat Khawas, Bikash Khawas, Aditya Chaudhary, and Ashish Chaudhary have all emerged. But apart from Bharat, few could sustain their careers for long.

Now, in Bardiya, another Tharu footballer has arrived — Fagu Ram Tharu. Like Dev Narayan, he began barefoot, yet he is now on the verge of establishing himself in the national squad.

Dev Narayan always used to say: “A player should never make excuses about what they lack. What matters is grit.”

Fagu Ram is the embodiment of that grit. In the beginning, he neither understood passing nor positioning. What he had was raw endurance — an untamed ability to chase the ball. That strength carried him from Jhogigaun in Barbardiya Municipality–2, Bardiya, all the way to Kathmandu.

Kathmandu: A burden and a dream
Fagu Ram’s elder brother, Chetan Kumar, became a footballer running on the burning sandbanks of Jhogigaun. Representing small-town tournaments across the Terai, he climbed slowly—Jawalakhel, Manang Marshyangdi, Chyasal—before finally reaching the Nepal Super League, playing for Butwal Lumbini FC and Pokhara Thunders. The journey took him more than a decade.

For Fagu Ram, it did not take nearly as long. At first, he wanted to be a goalkeeper. He followed the national team’s goalkeeper-captain, Kiran Chemjong, as his role model.

“The boys in the village would never score goals. I’d get so frustrated that I’d run forward, score myself, then go back to keeping goal,” he recalls with a laugh. This routine lasted for years. By 2018, his talent for finishing through-balls brought him into the spotlight. His chance came with Sudurpaschim XI, where in the third edition of the Khaptad Gold Cup, both brothers took the field together.

His debut, however, was far from memorable. At the Dhangadhi Stadium, a tense 90 minutes ended goalless. In the tiebreaker, Sudurpaschim fell 7–6 to Kakarbhitta Club. Chetan got his chance to score, but Fagu Ram never stepped up. Still, he was not discouraged. That very game opened the door to his future. “After that match, some of the Sudurpaschim seniors told me there were trials at Planning Boys. I went—and I passed,” he remembers.

It was not his first trip to Kathmandu. Back in 2014, he had arrived not to chase football, but to shoulder his family’s burden. As the youngest son, he did everything this alien city demanded—carrying bricks, mixing cement and sand. And yet, football kept pulling him back. In every spare moment, he would fashion a ball out of socks and keep practicing, always running.

When he finally entered Planning Boys, the club was struggling. At the time, they were in ‘C’ Division. “I was used to playing barefoot. Wearing boots felt awkward,” he admits. In the village, his brothers would supply him with through-balls. His only role was to finish.

By 2022, Planning Boys had built a stronger squad. The club appointed Sachin Dhimal as head coach. For the first time, Fagu Ram was told that football wasn’t just about running hard and shooting—it was about holding the ball, dribbling with purpose, and striking with an understanding of the opponent’s strategy. But such ideas didn’t sink in right away. No matter how often the coach drilled him, Fagu Ram would forget—and simply run for goal.

Fagu Ram Tharu

Yet his instinct paid off. Powered largely by his performance, Planning Boys climbed unbeaten into ‘B’ Division. In 13 matches, the club secured nine wins and four draws, scoring 32 goals. Fagu Ram alone netted 14 of them. His hat-trick in the final match against Oasis Club proved decisive; without it, RCT had already overtaken them.

“He’s a bit stubborn—obsessed with scoring goals. But he’s playing well,” admits coach Sachin.

That form caught the eye of Vincenzo Alberto Annese, then coach of the Nepali national team, who called Fagu Ram into closed training for a friendly against Laos. But when league football dried up, he was forced to play in provincial tournaments. At one such event—the Lisnu Cup in Butwal—he picked up a knee injury. Still clinging to hope, he came to Kathmandu for a shot at the national team, but the injury worsened.

Fagu Ram returned home, and later joined Sudurpaschim XI under the captaincy of his brother to play the Tilottama Gold Cup. His improved performance soon attracted offers from top-flight clubs—Manang Marshyangdi, Satdobato, and Friends—all eager to sign him for the 2023 league. But he turned them down. It was a decision that dealt another blow to his dream of the national team.

He admits regret. “If I had played for a big club and shown my game there, maybe I’d already be in the national team. Now, at 28, I keep asking myself—what if?”

League’s Best
Age was catching up. Family responsibilities weighed heavily. Yet Fagu Ram thought of nothing but football. With no regular league and ANFA’s contradictory policy—where even the most talented players could not play top-tier tournaments unless their clubs were promoted—his talent remained constrained. Club contracts, too, tied him down. But he never gave up. Training alone, he kept at it. While friends left for foreign jobs in search of brighter futures, Fagu Ram poured his sweat into the game, determined to make football his life.

In January 2025, news broke that the ‘B’ Division League would finally be held. For him, it was a relief. “I was already married, and my daughter had been born. It was a difficult decision. But once I heard about the league, I didn’t think of anything else,” he says.

Fagu Ram Tharu

Sachin Dhimal returned as head coach, the same man who had once led Planning Boys to promotion. On his first-choice list of players stood Fagu Ram. This time, Fagu Ram also brought in Binayak Tharu, Avinash Thapa, and Shankar Tharu—three teammates with whom he shared a natural rhythm. Their coordination clicked instantly.

Fagu Ram was unstoppable. With 15 goals, including a hat-trick, he powered Planning Boys to an unbeaten championship. His performances earned him the league’s Best Player award and a prize of Rs 50,000.

“Earlier, I couldn’t win the title for the team. This time I came determined to do whatever it took. I think I played exactly as I had set out to,” he reflects.

The joy of Dasharath stadium
Since childhood, Fagu Ram had dreamed of playing at Dasharath Stadium. When he learned that Planning Boys’ final two matches would be held there, his happiness knew no bounds.

But fate had other plans. His knee injury flared up again, threatening to shatter the dream. He told no one. Swallowing painkillers, he pretended to be fit. Then, on that very pitch, he delivered the performance of his career—scoring five goals against Tushal Youth Club in an 8–3 victory. With that result, Planning Boys secured the championship with a game still to spare.

“The coach asked if anyone was injured. I didn’t answer. Playing at Dasharath Stadium felt as if I was already wearing the national jersey. Not even winning a scooter at the Tilottama Gold Cup made me this happy,” he recalls.

For inspiration, Fagu Ram looks up to Kiran Chemjong and Ananta Tamang, as well as national team regulars like Sunish Shrestha and Anjan Bista. His stellar run in ‘B’ Division has now put him closer than ever to joining them.

This October, Nepal will face Vietnam in the third round of the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers. If Fagu Ram makes his debut, he will become the eighth player from the Tharu community to don the national colors—a dream that would mark the final destination of his football journey.