Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan applauded the younger generation and noted that young footballers in FIFA World Cup teams were achieving remarkable feats at ages when previous generations could scarcely imagine such opportunities.

Bachchan reflected on this year’s World Cup on his Tumblr blog, appreciating young stars on football’s biggest stage. “The evolution of fresh talent and guile emerges in each WC – at the ages of 17 and 18, we learn, are youngsters representing an entire nation. What were you doing when you were that age is what we ask each other, and lament the fact that we were never like them,” the actor wrote.

He added that times had changed and that modern youth have access to greater opportunities, allowing them to excel on the global stage at a young age. “The rapidity of change towards betterment is a boon. The youth see and benefit from it.” He also noted that elders “express surprise and wonder why this did not occur when they were young but now it is too late.” Bachchan clarified, “Late to be witness to what else shall follow in the years to come. We won’t be there, but our young will and that is a satisfaction of sorts.”

The veteran actor shared his thoughts on the tournament and admitted that it had thrown his sense of time into disarray. “The timelines and the idea of time have gone awry,” he said.

The actor added that while many traditional football powerhouses had suffered disappointing exits, he had been delighted by the performances of underdog nations. “We see with great distress the unfair decisions being made for one [nation] and not for the other, and we get excited over the victories of those countries that we had never imagined would make it to the WC challenge,” Bachchan said.

He also praised players for setting aside club rivalries to represent their countries with pride. Drawing a comparison with the Indian Premier League (IPL), Bachchan wrote, “Like in IPL, the players play for different team franchises and become competitors for each other, but when they are all put together for the national team they are ONE.”

Concluding his post on a light-hearted note, Bachchan said he was looking forward to returning to a more normal routine as the tournament nears its finale.