Indian footballer (born 2005)
Som Kumar (born 27 February 2005) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters . He represented the India under-20 national team .[4]
Kumar began his playing career in hometown Bangalore, at the age of 13.[5] In 2018, he appeared with U13 side of Bengaluru .[5] He then played for Boca Juniors U-13, and BYFL Academy team.[5] Kumar's competitive club career began in 2020, when he travelled to Slovenia .[6] At first, he signed with U17 team of NK Bravo .[7] With Bravo, he took part in an U15 summer tournament in Italy.[7] In that competition, he became prominent in a match against Bologna U17 in their 1–1 draw, in which he saved multiple penalties.[8] [7] He was then loaned out to another NextGen Liga club NK Krka , signing with their U17 team.[7] He helped the team achieving third place in the league.[9] He later appeared with U19 teams of both NK Bravo and NK Krka until moving to Olimpija Ljubljana.[7] [10]
In February 2023, Kumar signed a contract with U19 side of NK Olimpija Ljubljana .[11] [12] He joined the team as their third-choice goalkeeper in mid-season transfer.[7] After training with an Indian club, he joined Olimpija Ljubljana denying a move to the Indian Super League , stating "That was a good experience for me; it helped me understand how an ISL team works, and they offered me a contract. It's nothing that I have against the club or the ISL, but at the moment, I think my focus is to stay in Europe and train in Europe."[13] He made his official league debut on 28 July, against NK Aluminij.[2] He soon became regular starter for the club after showcasing his goalkeeping abilities in 2022–23 NextGen Liga.[7] He also made it to the team's UEFA European Under-19 Championship squad, alongside friendly tour to Austria in June.[14] In July, Kumar was called up to the senior squad, but remained uncapped in Slovenian PrvaLiga .[15]
In June 2024, Kumar was signed by the Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters on a four-year deal, till 2028.[16] [17] He became the first Blasters' signing under new coach Mikael Stahre .[18]
International career [ edit ] Kumar is a former member of both Indian national under-16 and under-17 teams .[19] [20] He was part of India under-16 team's tour to the United Arab Emirates , in which he appeared in their 4–2 win against Sharjah U18 on 36 January 2021, coming as a substitute for Lionel Daryl Rymmei on 62nd minute.[21] He later earned call-up to the Shanmugam Venkatesh managed India under-20 team to participate at the 2022 SAFF U-20 Championship in Odisha.[22] [23] [24] He made crucial saves in their semi-final win against the Maldives.[25] At the final on 5 August, they clinched title defeating Bangladesh 5–2.[26] [27] [28] He won best goalkeeper award in that edition.[24]
Kumar was also included in India's 2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup qualification squad.[29] They travelled to Kuwait in October, faced Australia, Iraq and Kuwait, winning a single match, against hosts.[30] [31] A year later, he was again included into the team by head coach Shuvendu Panda for their 2023 SAFF U-19 Championship campaign in Kathmandu, Nepal.[32] [33] [34] They clinched their second consecutive title on 30 September, beating Pakistan 3–0.[35]
Kumar was born and grew up in Bangalore.[15] His parents Vivek Kumar and Shama Kittur, both are former national-level badminton players.[15]
NK Krka U-17
India U-20
Individual
Cited sources
^ "Player Profile — Club Details: Som Kumar" . the-aiff.com . New Delhi: All India Football Federation . Archived from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2023 .
^ a b "Player Profile :: Career Statistics :: Achievements :: Club Information" . besoccer.com . BESoccer. Archived from the original on 29 November 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023 .
^ "Som Kumar – Player Summary – Career Statistics – Matches" . int.soccerway.com . Soccerway. Archived from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023 .
^ Philip Mathew, Alen (28 July 2023). "Som Kumar reveals why he chose Europe over ISL" . khelnow.com . Bengaluru: Khel Now News. Archived from the original on 28 July 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023 .
^ a b c Philip Mathew, Alen (22 July 2023). "Playing high pressure games in Europe helped during SAFF U-20 Championships, reveals Som Kumar" . khelnow.com . Bengaluru: Khel Now News. Archived from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023 .
^ Philip Mathew, Alen (19 July 2023). "Som Kumar opens up on challenges faced while living overseas and adapting new lifestyle" . khelnow.com . Bengaluru: Khel Now News. Archived from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023 .
^ a b c d e f g Chatterjee, Triyasha (11 June 2023). "EXCLUSIVE: Champions League Qualifiers at SIGHT, Indian goalkeeper Som Kumar SCRIPTS history" . insidesport.in . Kolkata: Inside Sport India News. Archived from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2023 .
^ Philip Mathew, Alen (16 July 2023). "Som Kumar reveals how chat with India youth coach Felix D'Souza influenced move to Europe" . khelnow.com . Bengaluru: Khel Now News. Archived from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023 .
^ a b Sarkar, Riddhiman (11 July 2023). "Top three players who are the "next big thing" in Indian football" . khelnow.com . Bengaluru: Khel Now News. Archived from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023 .
^ "Young Indian Goalkeepers Look to Make a Mark in SAFF U20 Championship" . news18.com . 20 July 2022. Archived from the original on 24 July 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2022 .
^ "KLUBSKA TEKMOVANJA — 1. SLOVENSKA MLADINSKA LIGA 22/23" . nzs.si (in Slovenian). Archived from the original on 18 March 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2023 .
^ Husain, Adil (27 July 2023). "Som Kumar: From Bengaluru to Slovenia – A Goalkeeper's Journey to European Football" . sportzcraazy.com . Sport Crazy News. Archived from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023 .
^ Mallick, Ankush (29 July 2023). "Som Kumar, 18 Years Old Indian Prodigy shares reasons for choosing Europe over ISL" . technosports.co.in . Techno Sports India. KhelNow. Archived from the original on 28 November 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023 .
^ "Olimpija začela priprave: Maria Kvesića ni bilo na spregled, zraven fantje z evropskega prvenstva in tudi 18-letni vratar iz Indije" [Olimpija started preparations: Mario Kvesić was conspicuously absent, along with the boys from the European Championship and also the 18-year-old goalkeeper from India]. planetnogomet.si (in Slovenian). Planet Nogomet Slovenia. 12 June 2023. Archived from the original on 28 November 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2023 .
^ a b c Veerappa, Manuja (27 July 2023). "Som Sets The Bar High" . timesofindia.indiatimes.com . Bengaluru: The Times of India . TNN. Archived from the original on 23 October 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023 .
^ "ISL Transfers: Kerala Blasters sign goalkeeper Som Kumar from NK Olympija Ljubljana" . The Bridge . 11 June 2024. Archived from the original on 12 June 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024 .
^ "Kerala Blasters sign goalkeeper Som Kumar" . Onmanorama . 12 June 2024. Archived from the original on 13 June 2024. Retrieved 14 June 2024 .
^ Sportstar, Team (12 June 2024). "ISL: Kerala Blasters signs young goalkeeper Som Kumar on four-year deal" . Sportstar . Archived from the original on 12 June 2024. Retrieved 14 June 2024 .
^ Menon, Sandeep (23 January 2021). "Winds of change in Bengaluru football?" . deccanherald.com . Bengaluru: The Deccan Herald. Archived from the original on 11 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021 .
^ "India: U-16 Men — Squad vs Sharjah FC U18, 26th January, 2021" . the-aiff.com . New Delhi: All India Football Federation. 23 July 2022. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023 .
^ "Friendly Match — India 4–2 UAE U18 :: 2021-01-26 (17:10:00); Al Riqa Suburb — Sharjah, UAE" . the-aiff.com . New Delhi: All India Football Federation. 26 January 2021. Archived from the original on 30 November 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023 .
^ "Venkatesh announces squad of 23 for SAFF U20 Championship" . the-aiff.com . Bhubaneswar: All India Football Federation. 23 July 2022. Archived from the original on 23 July 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2023 .
^ "India announce squad for SAFF U-20 Championship" . deccanherald.com . The Deccan Herald. IANS. 23 July 2022. Archived from the original on 11 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022 .
^ a b Mukherjee, Soham (5 August 2022). "2022 SAFF U-20 Championship: Gurkirat scores four as India beat Bangaldesh 5–2 in the final" . goal.com . Goal . Archived from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2022 .
^ "India beat Maldives, book spot in SAFF U20 C'ship final with Bangladesh" . thestatesman.com . Bhubaneswar: The Statesman. IANS. 5 August 2023. Archived from the original on 5 December 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023 .
^ TEAM SPORTSTAR, 21:34 IST (5 August 2022). "India beats Bangladesh to clinch U20 SAFF Championship" . sportstar.thehindu.com . Bhubaneswar, Odisha: Sportstar . Archived from the original on 5 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022 . ((cite web ))
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link )
^ Mukherjee, Soham (7 August 2022). "NXGN India: Who is Gurkirat Singh? The starlet that won the golden boot and MVP award in SAFF U-20 Championship" . goal.com . Goal . Archived from the original on 9 August 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2022 .
^ Sarkar, Sattyik (5 August 2022). "India defeat Bangladesh to win SAFF U-20 Championship 2022" . khelnow.com . Khel Now. Archived from the original on 22 July 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2023 .
^ TEAM SPORTSTAR, 15:29 IST (23 July 2022). "India announces 23-member squad for SAFF U20 Championship" . sportstar.thehindu.com . Bhubaneswar, Odisha: Sportstar . Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2022 . ((cite web ))
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link )
^ Chatterjee, Triyasha (18 October 2022). "AFC U20 Asian Cup Qualifiers LIVE: India brace for ULTIMATE Kuwait test — Check Out India U20 vs Kuwait U20 Preview, Prediction, LIVE Stream-Follow LIVE" . insidesport.in . Kolkata: Inside Sport India News. Archived from the original on 27 October 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2023 .
^ "India beat Kuwait 2–1, win but fail to qualify for next year's AFC U-20 Asian Cup" . hindustantimes.com . The Hindustan Times. PTI. 19 October 2022. Archived from the original on 19 October 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2023 .
^ "Shuvendu Panda names 23-member Indian squad for 2023 SAFF U-19 Championship" . the-aiff.com . New Delhi: All India Football Federation. 11 October 2022. Archived from the original on 17 October 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2022 .
^ "SAFF Championship: Groups revealed for U-16, U-19 youth events" . Khel Now. 22 July 2023. Archived from the original on 22 July 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2023 .
^ "Draw revealed for SAFF U16 and U19 Championships" . The AIFF. 22 July 2023. Archived from the original on 22 July 2023. Retrieved 22 July 2023 .
^ "INDIA WINS SAFF U19 CHAMPIONSHIP 2023 TITLE" . saffederation.org . Kathmandu: South Asian Football Federation. 30 September 2023. Archived from the original on 15 October 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023 .
^ Sarkar, Uttiyo (7 August 2022). "SAFF U-20 Championship 2022 review: India retain title" . khelnow.com . Bhubaneswar: Khel Now News. Archived from the original on 11 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022 .
^ Rawat, Akhil (30 September 2023). "CHAMPS!!! Triple-strike Blue Colts send crippled Pakistan packing" . the-aiff.com . Kathmandu: All India Football Federation. Archived from the original on 29 November 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023 .
^ "SAFF U20 CHAMPIONSHIP 2022 — Overview" . saffederation.org . South Asian Football Federation. Archived from the original on 14 February 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023 .
Further reading