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Mehtab Singh (footballer)
Mehtab Singh (Punjabi: ਮਹਿਤਾਬ ਸਿੰਘ; born 5 June 1998) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Indian Super League club Mumbai City and the India national team. CareerEarly careerMehtab Singh was born in Khemkaran village in Punjab. He travelled around 165 kilometres from Khemkaran to Mahilpur football academy to learn to play football.[citation needed] He later represented the East Bengal U18 side in the 2017–18 U18 I-League.[citation needed] On 13 December 2017, he scored a goal to help his team to a victory over Mohun Bagan in a crucial under-18 I-League match.[2] East BengalHe was promoted to the senior squad and played in the 2017–18 Calcutta Premier Division for the club.[3] On 28 November 2017, he made I-League debut in a 2–2 draw against Aizawl.[4] On 14 November 2018, he suffered a head injury due to an collision with Siddharth Singh during the practice when the duo jumped for an aerial ball as their heads clashed against each other. Mehtab was the worst affected as he was seen with a bloody forehead and lay unconscious for sometime before being rushed to the hospital where he had 18 stitches.[5][6] Gokulam KeralaOn 31 January 2019, he was loaned to Gokulam Kerala for the rest of the season. He made a total of 5 appearances for the Kerala side.[7] Mumbai City2020-21 seasonIn 2020, Singh moved to Mumbai City on a 3-year contract ahead of the 2020-21 season.[8] During this season, coach Sergio Lobera used Mehtab as a squad player, only starting five games during the course of the season. However, this season, Mumbai became the first ever team to win both the ISL Shield and the ISL Cup in one season. However, Mehtab was on the bench for the shield deciding match on the final day of the league season, and the ISL Cup final. 2021-22 seasonDespite Mehtab being left on the bench for the early part of the season under new coach Des Buckingham, he established his place during the second part of the season, starting 10 out of the last 13 games of the season. He scored his first goal against FC Goa on 26 February 2022, heading in a free-kick from Cássio Gabriel.[9] Later in March 2022, he was included in club's 2022 AFC Champions League squad.[10] During that campaign, Mehtab started in four out of Mumbai's six games. He came off the bench for the closing minutes in Mumbai's win over Air Force Club on 11 April 2022, where Mumbai became the first team from India to win a game in the AFC Champions League.[11] He also played the full 90 minutes in a scoreless draw against UAE's Al Jazira Club,[12] and in Mumbai's 1-0 win over Air Force Club in the reverse fixture as well.[13] 2022-23 seasonMehtab was again used as a rotation player in Mumbai's run to the final of the 2022 Durand Cup. However, when the ISL season began, Mehtab retained his place in the team from the previous season, playing the full match in 20 out of the 22 games the club played. Despite coming off the bench as a substitute in the first game of the season against Hyderabad FC, he started the next three games against Odisha FC, Jamshedpur FC, and Kerala Blasters FC, winning the Man Of the Match award in all three games[14][15][16] He scored his first goal of the season in the Kerala Blasters match as well.[17] This season, Mumbai won the league shield in record-breaking fashion, with an 18-match unbeaten run.[18] In the play-offs, Mumbai were knocked out in the play-off semi final against Bengaluru FC. After a 1-0 loss in the first leg, Mehtab scored Mumbai's second goal in the second leg with a header from a corner, equalizing the score 2-2 on aggregate. However, he ended up missing his penalty during sudden death. Defender Sandesh Jhingan subsequently scored his penalty for Bengaluru FC, knocking The Islanders out of the playoffs.[19] 2023-24 seasonMehtab was once again part of Mumbai's AFC Champions League squad, starting 3 out of Mumbai's 6 games in the competition. In Mumbai's fourth game, a home match versus Al Hilal, Mehtab put in a strong defensive performance but got a red card in the 54th minute, reducing Mumbai to ten men. The club went on to lose 0-2 in a spirited performance.[20] Mehtab scored his first goal of the season against NorthEast United FC, in an eventual 1-2 away win for the club.[21] Despite coach Des Buckingham leaving the club mid-season, Mehtab kept his place under new coach Petr Kratky. He remained a regular starter as the club lost the ISL Shield on the final day against Mohun Bagan Super Giant,[22] but took revenge in the ISL Cup final, where this time the club won 3-1 against Mohun Bagan Super Giant.[23] 2024-25 seasonMehtab began the 2024-25 season strongly. He scored his first goal of the season in a hard-fought 1-0 win over Hyderabad FC, heading in from a Lallianzuala Chhangte corner.[24] InternationalOn 13 February 2019, Singh was called up to the India under-23 side which participated in the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship qualifiers.[25] He made his debut for the side in a friendly match against Qatar U23 ahead of the competition.[26] On 14 March 2023, Singh was called up to the Indian senior squad for the first time.[27] He made his debut in the Hero Tri-Nation International Football Tournament against Myanmar on 22 March, as one of the starters in a 1–0 victory.[28] Personal lifeIn December 2022, Mehtab married his long-time girlfriend Shauli Sarkar. Career statisticsClub
International
HonoursEast Bengal Mumbai City India References
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