- Source: Som Kumar
Som Kumar (born 27 February 2005) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters.
Club career
= Early and youth career
=
Som began his playing career in hometown Bangalore, at the age of 13. In 2018, he appeared with U13 side of Bengaluru. He then played for Boca Juniors U-13, and BYFL Academy team. Kumar's competitive club career began in 2020, when he travelled to Slovenia. At first, he signed with U17 team of NK Bravo. With Bravo, he took part in an U15 summer tournament in Italy. In that competition, he became prominent in a match against Bologna U17 in their 1–1 draw, in which he saved multiple penalties. He was then loaned out to another NextGen Liga club NK Krka, signing with their U17 team. He helped the team achieving third place in the league. He later appeared with U19 teams of both NK Bravo and NK Krka until moving to Olimpija Ljubljana.
In February 2023, Som signed a contract with U19 side of NK Olimpija Ljubljana. He joined the team as their third-choice goalkeeper in mid-season transfer. 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." He made his official league debut on 28 July, against NK Aluminij. He soon became regular starter for the club after showcasing his goalkeeping abilities in 2022–23 NextGen Liga. He also made it to the team's UEFA European Under-19 Championship squad, alongside friendly tour to Austria in June. In July, Som was called up to the senior squad, but remained uncapped in Slovenian PrvaLiga.
= Kerala Blasters
=
In June 2024, Som was signed by the Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters on a four-year deal, till 2028. He was the first Blasters' signing under new coach Mikael Stahre. Som made his senior debut on 1 August with Kerala Blasters in the 2024 Durand Cup match against Mumbai City FC, where he kept a clean-sheet as the Blasters won the match with a record-breaking score of 8–0. He then kept two more consecutive clean sheets against Punjab and CISF Protectors. On August 23, in the Durand Cup quarter finals against Bengaluru, Som collided with Bengaluru striker Jorge Pereyra Díaz within eight seconds into the game, resulting in a head injury and was stretchered off after sustaining a severe cut. Som made his Indian Super League debut on 20 October in a 2–1 win against Mohammedan SC.
International career
Som is a former member of both Indian national under-16 and under-17 teams. 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. 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. He made crucial saves in their semi-final win against the Maldives. At the final on 5 August, they clinched title defeating Bangladesh 5–2. He won best goalkeeper award in that edition.
Som was also included in India's 2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup qualification squad. They travelled to Kuwait in October, faced Australia, Iraq and Kuwait, winning a single match, against hosts. 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. They clinched their second consecutive title on 30 September, beating Pakistan 3–0.
Personal life
Som was born and grew up in Bangalore. His parents Vivek Kumar and Shama Kittur, both are former national-level badminton players.
Career statistics
= Club
=
As of match played 6 August 2024
Honours
NK Krka U-17
NextGen Liga third place: 2021–22
India U-20
SAFF U-20 Championship: 2022, 2023
Individual
SAFF U-20 Championship Best Goalkeeper: 2022
See also
List of Indian expatriate footballers
References
Cited sources
Further reading
Reddy, Bharadwaj (21 July 2023). "Som Kumar opens up on challenges faced while living overseas and adapting new lifestyle". footballexpress.in. Football Express India. Archived from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
"NK Olimpija — Igralci — Vratar: Som Kumar" [NK Olimpija — Player profile — Biography: Som Kumar]. nkolimpija.si (in Slovenian). Archived from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
Mukherjee, Soham (27 January 2021). "Chronicling Suhail Bhat — The prodigy from Kashmir who made his mark in UAE". goal.com. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
External links
Som Kumar at Soccerway
Som Kumar at FlashScore
Kata Kunci Pencarian:
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