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Balwant Singh (footballer)

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Balwant Singh
Personal information
Date of birth (1986-12-15) 15 December 1986 (age 37)[1]
Place of birth Hoshiarpur, Punjab, India[1]
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[2]
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Delhi
Number 15
Youth career
2005–2007 Mahilpur Football Club
2007–2008 JCT
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2011 JCT 38 (7)
2011–2013 Salgaocar 3 (0)
2013–2014 Churchill Brothers 22 (10)
2014–2017 Mohun Bagan 38 (12)
2014–2015 → Chennaiyin (loan) 20 (1)
2017–2018 Mumbai City 16 (6)
2018–2020 ATK 23 (2)
2020–2022 East Bengal 8 (0)
2023– Delhi 10 (8)
International career
2010 India U23 4 (1)
2010 India B 3 (0)
2014–2019 India 11 (3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:33, 4 November 2023 (UTC)

Balwant Singh (born 15 December 1986) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a forward for I-League club Delhi.

Career

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JCT

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Born in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, Balwant started his footballing journey with Mahilpur Football Club before joining the academy of JCT[1] before being promoted to their senior team in 2008.[1] He scored his first professional goal for the club on 28 September 2008 against Mahindra United in the 64th minute to help JCT to a huge 7–1 victory.[3] He then scored his second goal for the club on 11 October 2008 against Mohammedan in the 45th minute to help JCT to a 2–0 win.[4] Balwant then scored his last goal of his debut season against Mumbai on 26 November 2008 in the 38th minute, but could not prevent JCT from going down 2–3.[5] He had a productive Durand Cup campaign in his debut season, where JCT reached the semi-finals, with Balwant scoring thrice during the tournament.[6]

He opened his account for the 2009–10 season on 4 October 2009 when he scored a brace as JCT won the match 5–1 against Shillong Lajong[7] before scoring his third and final goal that season against Sporting Goa on 28 January 2010 in the 58th minute in a match JCT won 2–0.[8]

Balwant was among the 6 JCT players who went for a short training stint at Wolverhampton Wanderers in England in 2010.[9] He then scored what went on to be his final goal for JCT during the 2010–11 season against Churchill Brothers on 7 December 2010 in the 37th minute as his team drew the match 1–1.[10]

Salgaocar

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When the season ended, JCT were relegated to the I-League 2nd Division, and Balwant was picked up by goan-based Salgaocar on 8 June 2011 on a two-year deal.[11] He made his club debut while on 21 March 2012 against Neftchi FK in the 2012 AFC Cup when he came on as a 79th-minute substitute for Francis Fernandes as his team drew the match 2–2.[12] He then featured in his 2nd AFC Cup match against Al-Wehdat on 10 April 2012 when Salgaocar lost 1–2.[13] Balwant struggled for the majority of his time at Salgaocar; his first season was blighted by long injury lay-offs while in the second season, he was relegated to play only the local league games in Goa and did not make any I-League appearances.[14]

Churchill Brothers

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After barely getting any playing time with Salgaocar, Balwant signed for the defending I-League champions Churchill Brothers on 9 July 2013.[15] He made his debut for the club in the league on 5 October 2013 against Mumbai in a game in which he started and played 57 minutes in a 2–0 win.[16] He then scored his first goal for the club five days later on 10 October 2013 against Rangdajied United in the 27th minute to equalize for Churchill Brothers as the match ended 1–1.[17] He scored a brace for Churchill Brothers in the league on 2 November 2013 against United SC to give his team an early lead, however, that lead would not last as the club went on to lose the match 2–3.[18] On 29 April, Balwant was named Indian player of the season for his goal-scoring feat during the season.[19]

Mohun Bagan

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Balwant was roped in by Mohun Bagan ahead of 5 other clubs who were chasing his signature due to his 17-goal exploits the previous season for the 2014–15 season on a one-year deal.[6] he would appear 17 times for Bagan in their title winning campaign scoring times, and 4 times in the Federation Cup.

Chennaiyin

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Balwant was loaned out to south Indian franchise Chennaiyin for the inaugural season of the Indian Super League by his club Mohun Bagan.[20] On 15 October 2014, he opened the score as Chennaiyin won 2–1 at Goa in their first Indian Super League match, thus becoming the first Indian to score in the league.[21] Balwant would appear 14 times for the Marco Materazzi managed outfit, helping them reach the semi-finals, where they were beaten over two-legs by southern rivals Kerala Blasters.[22]

Balwant was retained by Chennaiyin for the 2015 season.[20]

Mumbai City

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Balwant signed with Mumbai City for the 2017–18 Indian Super League season. Head coach Alexandre Guimarães said that "Mumbai City FC lucky to have Balwant Singh as one of the first picks".[23] He picked up an ankle injury during the pre-season training and was consequently ruled out of play for the opener against Bengaluru. On 23 November, it was announced that he returned to training and was available for selection for the next league match against Goa.[24] He scored his first goal for the club against Pune City. In December, he won the Man of the Match award for scoring an equaliser against Kerala Blasters.[25]

ATK

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Balwant signed with ATK for two seasons in 2018. He was an integral part of the team that became the 2019–20 Indian Super League champions.

East Bengal

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On 12 April 2020, it was officially announced that Balwant has signed on a 2 years contract with Kolkata Giants East Bengal F.C.[26]

International

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Balwant made his international debut for India B on 17 February 2010 against Kyrigyzstan in India's opening match of the 2010 AFC Challenge Cup in which he started and played 79 minutes before being substituted for Jeje Lalpekhlua.[27] Later that year, he made his debut for India at the under-23 level when India took part in the 2010 Asian Games. The match took place on 7 November 2010 against Kuwait in which Singh played the whole match as India's under-23s lost 0–2.[28] Then, later in the tournament, he scored his first ever international goal against Singapore U23s in the 62nd minute as India ran out 4–1 winners.[29] He made his national debut against Mauritius in Hero Tri-Nation Cup and also scored the winning goal. On 5 September Balwant scored a brace which helped them secure a 2–0 win against Macau in the Asian Cup Qualifying.[30]

Career statistics

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Stats accurate as of 26 May 2023[31][32][33]

Club Season League Federation Cup Durand Cup/Super Cup AFC Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
JCT 2008–09 I-League 14 3 2 1 3 3 — — 19 7
2009–10 13 3 2 0 1 0 — — 16 3
2010–11 11 1 0 0 — — — — 11 1
JCT total 38 7 4 1 3 3 0 0 45 11
Salgaocar 2011–12 I-League 3 0 0 0 0 0 — — 3 0
2012–13 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0
Salgaocar total 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 5 0
Churchill Brothers 2013–14 I-League 22 10 5 4 — — 5 3 32 17
Churchill Brothers total 22 10 5 4 0 0 5 3 32 17
Mohun Bagan 2014–15 I-League 17 6 4 0 0 0 0 0 21 6
2015–16 5 2 0 0 — — 0 0 5 2
2016–17 16 4 5 3 — — 8 1 29 8
Mohun Bagan total 38 12 9 3 0 0 8 1 55 16
Chennaiyin (loan) 2014 Indian Super League 14 1 — — — — — — 14 1
2015 6 0 — — — — — — 6 0
Chennaiyin total 20 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 20 1
Mumbai City 2017–18 Indian Super League 16 6 — — 2 0 — — 18 6
Mumbai City total 16 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 16 6
ATK 2018–19 Indian Super League 15 1 — — 3 4 — — 18 5
2019–20 8 1 — — 0 0 — — 8 1
ATK total 23 2 0 0 3 4 0 0 26 6
East Bengal 2020–21 Indian Super League 3 0 — — 0 0 — — 3 0
2021–22 5 0 — — 0 0 — — 5 0
East Bengal total 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 0
Delhi FC 2022–23 I-League 2 9 7 — — — — — — 9 7
2023–24 I-League 1 1 — — — — — — 1 1
Delhi FC total 10 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 8
Career total 178 46 18 8 6 7 15 4 217 65

International goals

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Scores and results list India's goal tally first.[34]
No Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 19 August 2017 Mumbai Football Arena, Mumbai, India  Mauritius 2–1 2–1 2017 Hero Tri-Nation Series [35]
2 3 September 2017 Estádio Campo Desportivo, Taipa, Macau  Macau 1–0 2–0 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification [36]
3 2–0

Honours

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Salgaocar

Churchill Brothers

Mohun Bagan

Chennaiyin

ATK

India

India U23

Individual

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d "Balwant Singh". JCT Football Club. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  2. ^ "Balwant Singh". Football Database. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  3. ^ "Man U VS. Man city FC 1 – 2". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 20 July 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  4. ^ "JCT FC VS. MOHAMMEDAN 2 – 0". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 11 July 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  5. ^ "MUMBAI VS. JCT FC 3 – 2". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 25 February 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  6. ^ a b "Mohun Bagan - Interviews - McDowell Mohun Bagan New Recruit - Balwant Singh". Archived from the original on 27 January 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. ^ "JCT FC VS. SHILLONG LAJONG 5 – 1". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 20 July 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  8. ^ "JCT FC VS. SPORTING GOA 2 – 0". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  9. ^ "JCT Football :: News Detail". www.jctfootball.com. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  10. ^ "JCT FC VS. CHURCHILL BROTHERS 1 – 1". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 27 February 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  11. ^ "JCT trio signs two-year deal with Salgaocar". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 5 September 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  12. ^ "SALGAOCAR VS. NEFTCHI 2 – 2". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 2 March 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  13. ^ "Salgaocar vs. Al Wehdat - 10 April 2012 - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Archived from the original on 6 May 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  14. ^ Ghoshal, Amoy (17 December 2013). "I-League: Churchill Brothers striker Balwant Singh hopeful of India call-up". www.sportskeeda.com. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  15. ^ Bali, Rahul. "Salgaocar's Balwant Singh and Presley Mascarenhas join Churchill Brothers". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  16. ^ "CHURCHILL BROTHERS VS. MUMBAI 0 – 2". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 27 October 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  17. ^ "RANGDAJIED UNITED VS. CHURCHILL BROTHERS 1 – 1". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  18. ^ "PRAYAG UNITED VS. CHURCHILL BROTHERS 3 – 2". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  19. ^ Kaustav Bera (29 April 2014). "Balwant Singh named Indian Player of the Year and more from the FPAI Indian Football Awards". Archived from the original on 25 June 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  20. ^ a b "Balwant Singh profile - Goals, Passes and more". Indian Super League. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  21. ^ Raj, Rohan (15 October 2014). "ISL: Record-breaking Chennaiyin FC romp to 2–1 win over FC Goa". India Today. Archived from the original on 15 October 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  22. ^ "As it happened: Chennaiyin FC vs Kerala Blasters FC, ISL Semi-final 1, 2nd Leg - IBNLive". Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  23. ^ "Mumbai City FC lucky to have Balwant Singh as one of the first picks: Coach". Hindustan Times. 14 November 2017. Archived from the original on 17 November 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  24. ^ "Balwant Singh back for Mumbai, Leo Costa ruled out". The Times of India. 23 November 2017. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  25. ^ "Mumbai City FC's Balwant Singh on the loose". The Hindu. 7 December 2017. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  26. ^ "East Bengal ropes in Balwant Singh from ATK". Sportstar – The Hindu. Archived from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  27. ^ "INDIA VS. KYRGYZSTAN 1 – 2". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 14 June 2013. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  28. ^ "KUWAIT U23 VS. INDIA U23 2 – 0". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 26 September 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  29. ^ "INDIA U23 VS. SINGAPORE U23 4 – 1". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 9 September 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  30. ^ "চোটে কাবু সুহেইর, তবু দমছে না ইস্টবেঙ্গল [suhair got injured]". anandabazar.com (in Bengali). Anandabazar Patrika. 7 September 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  31. ^ Balwant Singh at Soccerway
  32. ^ "Balwant Singh - Profile and Statistics - SoccerPunter.com". www.soccerpunter.com. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  33. ^ "JCT Football :: News". www.jctfootball.com. Archived from the original on 14 February 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
  34. ^ "Singh, Balwant". National Football Teams. Archived from the original on 20 August 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  35. ^ "INDIA COME BACK FROM BEHIND TO BEAT MAURITIUS". the-aiff.com. AIFF. Archived from the original on 2 September 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
  36. ^ "AFC ASIAN CUP Q IND vs MAC". the-afc.com. AFC. Archived from the original on 22 March 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
  37. ^ "Westwood bags FPAI best coach award, PK lifetime achievement". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Kolkata: The Times of India. Press Trust of India. 29 April 2014. Archived from the original on 21 September 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
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