Arindam Bhattacharya (footballer)

Arindam Bhattacharja is an Indian footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper for ATK MOHUN BAGAN FC and India. He was adjudged as the best keeper in I-League after his remarkable performances in helping Churchill Brothers win the 2008-09 I-League, and later that year, was called up by Bob Houghton to the India first team.[2]

Arindam Bhattacharja
Personal information
Full name Arindam Bhattacharja
Date of birth (1989-12-11) 11 December 1989
Place of birth Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Height 1.89 m (6 ft 2 1⁄2 in)[1]
Playing position(s) Goalkeeper
Club information
Current team
 ATK
Number 29
Youth career
2004–2006 Tata Football Academy
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007–2012 Churchill Brothers 240 (0)
2012–2013 Mohun Bagan 7 (0)
2013–2014 Churchill Brothers 12 (0)
2014–2017 Pune City 16 (0)
2015 → Bharat (loan) 17 (0)
2016 → Sporting Goa (loan) 16 (0)
2017 → Bengaluru (loan) 6 (0)
2017–2018 Mumbai City 2 (0)
2018– ATK 38 (0)
National team
2005–2007 India U19
2009–2012 India U23
2008– India 5 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14 March 2020

Club career

Arindam used to play football in Surya Sen Sporting Club in Khardah. Then he joined SAI senior team in 2006 where he stayed for 2 years before joining Churchill Brothers. He was adjudged the best goalkeeper in an Inter SAI Tournament held in 2004.

Arindam made his debut for FC Pune City against Kerala Blasters on 30 October 2014 at the home stadium Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune. On 7 November 2014 at Salt Lake Stadium in the match against Atlético de Kolkata, John Goossens suffered a very serious lower rib cage and paraspinal muscle injuries after a collision with Arindam in 78th minute.[3]

For the 2015 I-League season, he joined Bharat FC.[4]

In 2018 he joined Kolkata based club and two time Indian Super League winners ATK.[5] and immediately established himself as the first choice goalkeeper, and was on the field for every second of ATK’s season last term.[6]

But once the lanky goalkeeper joined the Tata Football Academy and was selected for the India under-19 after his heroics in the Subroto Cup , all opposition dissipated. After a short spell with the Sports Authority of India, the Oliver Kahn fan joined Churchill Brothers, with whom he won the Hero I-League in 2008-09. He moved to Mohun Bagan in the 2012-13 season only to return to Churchill Brothers and win the Federation Cup in 2014. Arindam was in FC Pune City’s books from 2014 to 2017 before switching to Mumbai City for the 2017-18 season.[7]

Personal Life

Arindam Bhattacharja faced resistance from his family for taking up football as a career.

International career

Seeing his performance in Subroto Cup, Stephen Constantine called him to Indian U-19 team. That was the first time he got the opportunity to represent Indian team. His first match for India was for the U-19 Indian team, where he played in Sri Lanka and Myanmar. He made his Debut for India U23 team on 5 December 2009 vs Afghanistan in Dhaka in 2009 SAFF Championship.[8]

He was included in 2019 AFC Asian Cup squads[9]

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 4 April 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "A. BHATTACHARYA". Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  3. "FC Pune". Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  4. "With him under the sticks". Bharat FC. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  5. "Komal Thatal, Arindam Bhattacharya and Sena Ralte sign new ATK deals". Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  6. "Arindam Bhattacharja". Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  7. "Arindam Bhattacharja". Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  8. "2010 Homeless World Cup World Rankings Announced". Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  9. "AFC Asian Cup: India announces 23-member squad". Retrieved 11 January 2020.
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