Vinit Rai
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Vinit Rai Chamling | ||
| Date of birth | 11 October 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | Assam, India | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Central Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Kerala Blasters | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2014 | Tata Football Academy | ||
| 2014–2015 | Dempo | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2016 | Dempo | 10 | (0) |
| 2016– | Kerala Blasters | 1 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| India U20 | |||
| 2015– | India U23 | 6 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 2 October 2016. | |||
Vinit Rai Chamling (born 10 October 1997) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Kerala Blasters in the Indian Super League.
Career
Born in Assam, Rai was scouted by the Tata Football Academy at the age of 13 and trained there for four years.[1] After graduating from Tata, Rai signed with I-League side Dempo. On signing Rai, Dempo head coach at the time, Arthur Papas said "Vinit is a very cultured midfielder with a great range of passing. He has a willingness to always want the ball and link the play between the defensive and forward lines."[2] Rai would enter the 2014–15 season with Dempo as the youngest first-team player.[2] After spending a majority of the season playing for the club's youth team, Rai made his professional debut for Dempo in the league on 1 March 2015 against East Bengal. He came on as a 81st minute substitute for Jewel Raja as Dempo lost 5–1.[3]
Kerala Blasters
After helping Dempo regain promotion to the I-League, Rai signed with Indian Super League side Kerala Blasters on 6 September 2016.[1] He made his debut for the team on 1 October 2016 against NorthEast United. He started the match and played 76 minutes as Kerala Blasters fell 1–0.[4]
International
Rai made his debut for the India under-23 side on 27 March 2015 against Uzbekistan U23 in the 2016 AFC U23 Championship qualifiers. He played 80 minutes as India U23 fell 2–0.[5] Almost a year later, Rai made his debut on the bench for the India senior side in their FIFA World Cup qualifier against Iran. He did not come off the bench though.[6] Rai, however, did make his unofficial debut for India in the team's unofficial friendly against Bhutan. He came on as a 64th minute for Rowllin Borges as India won 3–0.[7]
Career statistics
- As of 1 October 2016[8]
| Club | Season | League | League Cup | Domestic Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Dempo | 2014–15 | I-League | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 |
| Kerala Blasters | 2016 | ISL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 |
| Career total | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
References
- 1 2 "Kerala Blasters sign Vinit Rai". Arunfoot. 6 September 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- 1 2 "Young Players to watch out for in Dempo". The All India Football Federation. 12 August 2014. Retrieved 2 October 2016.
- ↑ "Dempo 1-5 East Bengal". Soccerway.
- ↑ "NorthEast United 1-0 Kerala Blasters". Soccerway.
- ↑ "Uzbekistan U23 2-0 India U23". The Asian Football Confederation.
- ↑ "Iran 4-0 India". Soccerway.
- ↑ "Bhutan 0-3 India". Soccerway.
- ↑ Vinit Rai profile at Soccerway