Jeakson Singh Thounaojam
Jeakson Singh Thounaojam (born 21 June 2001) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters and India under-20 national team. He is widely known for scoring India's first ever goal in a FIFA tournament, by scoring against Colombia in the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jeakson Singh Thounaojam | ||
| Date of birth | 21 June 2001 | ||
| Place of birth | Manipur, India | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Playing position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Kerala Blasters | ||
| Number | 55 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2012–2016 | Chandigarh Football Academy | ||
| 2016-2017 | Minerva Punjab | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2018 | Minerva Punjab | 0 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | → Indian Arrows (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | Kerala Blasters 'B' | 5 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | → Indian Arrows (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2019– | Kerala Blasters | 13 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2017 | India U17 | 5 | (1) |
| 2017– | India U20 | 3 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20 October 2019 ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 20 October 2017 | |||
Club career
Youth and early career: 2012–2018
Born in Manipur, to a family that love football, Jeakson’s early introduction to the sport came from his father who was a coach.[1]He was eleven years old when he left his hometown in Thoubal district to travel all the way to Chandigarh to join the Chandigarh football academy known as CFA.[2]After around five years at CFA, he later joined Minerva Punjab academy where he was the part of their youth team. He formed a crucial part of the club’s academy team which would go on to win the AIFF U-15 & U-16 Youth League titles two years in a row. After the FIFA U-17 World Cup, Thounaojam was selected to play for the Indian Arrows, an All India Football Federation owned team that would consist of India under-20 players to give them playing time, on loan from Minerva Punjab.[3][4] He made his first ever professional debut for the side in the Arrow's first match of the season against Chennai City. He started and played 90 minutes as Indian Arrows won 3–0.[5]
Kerala Blasters
Kerala Blasters Reserves: 2018–2019
In october 2018 Kerala Blasters announced the signing of Jeakson singh.He was put on to the reserve side and made 5 appearances for the side in the I-League 2nd Division.After the season he was once again loaned to Indian Arrows for getting some playing time.
Kerala Blasters:2019–Present
Jeakson was selected by newly appointed Blasters coach Eelco Schattorie for the 2019-20 Indian Super League sqaud.He started in the opening game itself against ATK on 20 October 2019 .Thus he became the second youngest player to play for the Blasters in the first team, behind Dheeraj Singh.He played 82 minutes in the defensive midfield position before being substituted by Sahal Abdul Samad, as Kerala Blasters beat ATK 2–1 at home. He was later awarded the Emerging Player of the Match award. Despite Blasters had a poor season, Jeakson was one of their bright spots, and ended up featuring in 13 games in his debut season for the senior side, playing mostly in his natural defensive midfielder position.
International career
Thounaojam represented the India under-17 side which participated in the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup which was hosted in India.[3] In India's second match of the tournament, on 9 October 2017 against Colombia, he scored India's first ever goal in a FIFA tournament ever. His 82nd minute header from a corner was the equaliser for India but the team soon conceded again, a minute later, and went on to be defeated 2–1.[6] After a breakthrough season with Kerala Blasters in the 2019-20 season, he earned was named in the list of probables for India's World Cup Qualifier against Qatar, but didn't make the final squad.
Personal life
His cousin Amarjit Singh Kiyam is also a footballer.Both of them represented the Indian under 17 national team in the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup India where Amarjit captained the side.[7] Amarjit currently plays for Jamshedpur.[8]
Career statistics
- As of 1 May 2020
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Indian Arrows | 2017–18 | I-League | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| 2018–19 | I-League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Kerala Blasters B | 2018–19 | I-League 2nd Division | 5 | 0 | – | – | 5 | 0 |
| Kerala Blasters | 2019–20 | Indian Super League | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Career total | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 0 | ||
References
- "Jackson Singh - India U17 team's Manipuri midfield destroyer who croons in Punjabi | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- "Who is Jeakson Singh - India's first ever goalscorer in a World Cup | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- "Matos Names 25-member Indian Arrows Squad for Hero I-league 2017-18". The All India Football Federation. 29 November 2017. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- "Minerva Punjab loaned players". Minerva Punjab (Twitter).
- "Indian Arrows 3-0 Chennai City". Soccerway.
- "India U17 1-2 Colombia U17". Soccerway.
- "Under 17 World Cup: Amarjit Singh and Jeakson Singh - brothers in arms - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
- "Amarjit Singh Kiyam". Indian Super League.
External sources
- Jeakson Singh Thounaojam at Soccerway