Chelsea’s Cobham training ground played host to more than 250 youngsters on Monday as the club delivered the eighth instalment of their ground-breaking Asian Star initiative.
The annual event - aimed at increasing Asian participation across football - saw four lucky winners presented with awards by former Chelsea goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini, and earn 12-month placements at a Chelsea Foundation Football Development Centre.
Participants competing in U9s to U12s age groups were judged on a series of matches and tests, specifically designed and used by the Chelsea Academy to examine speed, skill and ability.
Cudicini, who was voted the club's player of the year in 2002, and is now a Chelsea FC ambassador, was making his first appearance at Asian Star and was hugely impressed with both the day and the talent on show.
He said: "It is a pleasure be here to see such a fantastic event. It is great for the kids and their families to visit and play at Cobham, just a few yards away from where the first-team play.
"Obviously they have a chance to impress and maybe go on and play in a professional academy but more importantly it is about so many having the opportunity to do something special.
"The Chelsea Foundation, and whole club, do a great job at supporting and promoting these events and are always at the forefront of new ideas and something like this for kids of an Asian background is setting the standard for others."
Charan Hirani, who won the U12 category, said: "It was amazing to win. My favourite player is Eden Hazard so to play here like him was a dream."
Asian Star is the first scheme of its kind undertaken by a professional football club and is designed to give a much-needed boost to Asian participation at all levels of the game.
Asian Star winners:
U12 - Charan Hirani
U11 - Abdullah Javaid
U10 - Rico Toor
U9 - Roshan Hirani