Who Is Arjan Raikhy? The ‘Punjabi Pirlo’ Who Dreams Of Playing For India

For Indian football fans searching for overseas talent capable of transforming the national team’s midfield, few names generate as much intrigue as Arjan Raikhy.

Nicknamed the “Punjabi Pirlo” by sections of the English lower-league football community, the technically gifted British-Indian midfielder has long been viewed as one of the most promising footballers of Indian descent in England. A product of Aston Villa’s elite academy system, Raikhy’s story represents both the growing quality of South Asian-origin footballers abroad and the frustrating legal barriers preventing many of them from representing India.

Arjan Singh Raikhy was born on October 20, 2002, in Wolverhampton, England, to a Punjabi Sikh family of Indian origin. Standing at 1.83 metres, the midfielder combines a tall, elegant frame with a highly technical style of play rarely associated with traditional English football development. His footballing education began at West Bromwich Albion before he joined Aston Villa’s Category One academy setup during his teenage years. At Villa, Raikhy quickly emerged as one of the club’s standout midfield prospects.

His breakthrough moment arrived during the COVID-19 crisis in January 2021.

With Aston Villa’s senior squad unavailable due to a major outbreak, the club was forced to field an academy-heavy side against Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool in the FA Cup third round. Raikhy started in midfield against established Premier League stars such as Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Georginio Wijnaldum. Although Villa lost 4-1, the performance gave Raikhy invaluable exposure to elite-level football at just 18 years old.

That same year, he also played a major role in Aston Villa’s FA Youth Cup triumph, assisting in the final against Liverpool as Villa defeated the Reds 2-1 at Villa Park.

Why Is He Called The ‘Punjabi Pirlo’?

The nickname comes largely from his playing style. Raikhy is not an explosive winger or a physically dominant destroyer. Instead, he is a deep-lying technical midfielder who thrives on ball progression, composure and passing range. His strengths include progressive passing, tempo control, switching play across the field, carrying the ball through midfield, receiving under pressure & actical versatility across midfield roles

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Raikhy is comfortable operating as a No. 6 holding midfielder,  box-to-box No. 8 and advanced playmaker

However, his most natural role is arguably as a possession-oriented central midfielder in a three-man midfield setup. Scouting reports consistently praise his technical security and calmness on the ball, qualities Indian football has historically lacked in midfield areas at the international level.

Despite his technical pedigree, Raikhy’s transition into senior football has not been straightforward. Like many academy midfielders, he faced the difficult reality of adapting to the physical demands of lower-league English football. After loan spells with Stockport County and Grimsby Town, where he helped both clubs achieve promotion during the same season, Raikhy continued searching for consistent senior opportunities.

In 2023, he joined Leicester City and even made appearances under Enzo Maresca in both the FA Cup and Championship. However, first-team opportunities remained limited.

Subsequent spells with Tamworth, Morecambe and Boston United followed as he continued building experience in the National League system. Now under contract with Boston United until 2027, Raikhy enters a critical phase of his career where regular first-team football will likely determine whether he can climb higher within the English football pyramid.

Can Arjan Raikhy Play For India?

Technically, yes. Legally and practically, it remains extremely complicated. Raikhy has publicly expressed interest in representing India internationally, which has naturally excited Indian football fans. However, India’s citizenship laws remain the biggest obstacle.

India does not permit dual citizenship. While Raikhy is eligible for Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) status through his heritage, FIFA does not recognise OCI cards for international eligibility purposes. Under FIFA rules, a player must hold a valid passport of the nation they wish to represent. That means Raikhy would need to renounce his British citizenship & obtain full Indian citizenship and an Indian passport

The problem is that surrendering his British passport would almost certainly end his professional career in England. Post-Brexit work permit rules now require non-British players to satisfy strict Governing Body Endorsement (GBE) criteria. As a National League player, Raikhy currently would not qualify for those work permit thresholds if he became an Indian passport holder.

In simple terms, playing for India could effectively cost him his club career in England.

Most importantly, he could help India control games better rather than constantly defending deep against higher-ranked opposition. His profile is particularly valuable because India currently lack midfielders capable of dictating tempo at international level against physically superior teams.

Arjan Raikhy’s story is now bigger than just one footballer. It represents the growing disconnect between India’s massive football-supporting diaspora and the country’s restrictive sporting citizenship policies. Nations across Asia including Indonesia and Malaysia have aggressively recruited diaspora talent to raise their football standards. India, meanwhile, continues losing access to technically developed players of Indian origin because of administrative rigidity.

For now, Raikhy remains one of the most talented Indian-origin footballers abroad who may never wear the Blue Tigers jersey not because of footballing reasons, but because of policy.