Khwetelhi Thopi is an Indian professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who plays as a winger for Kohima Eagles.

Career

Born in the

Phek district Phek District (pron:/ˈfɛk/) is a district in the Indian state of Nagaland. At , the district is the seventh-most populous district in Nagaland and 596th most populous district in India with 163,418 inhabitants. The district is home to 8.26% ...

Nagaland Nagaland () is a landlocked state in the northeastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south and the Sagaing Region of Myanmar to the east. Its capital cit ...

, Thopi started playing football at the village and school level. In 2012, Thopi played for Life Sports in local tournaments and the Nagaland Premier League. After spending time with Life Sports, Thopi played for Kohima Komets and Veda in 2013. He also represented

in the

Santosh Trophy The Santosh Trophy, officially known as Hero Senior Men's National Football Championship due to sponsorship ties with Hero MotoCorp, is a state-level football competition contested by the state associations and government institutions under ...

three times. In 2014, Thopi signed with

Shillong Shillong () is a hill station and the capital of Meghalaya, a Indian state, state in northeastern India, which means "The Abode of Clouds". It is the headquarters of the East Khasi Hills district. Shillong is the list of most populous cities in ...

-based side Rangdajied United on a five-month contract. While playing for the club, Thopi also turned out for various local teams in Nagaland. On 25 February 2016, it was announced that Thopi would move to newly promoted

I-League The I-League (known as Hero I-League for sponsorship ties with Hero MotoCorp) is the second-tier men's professional football competition of the Indian football league system. It is currently contested by 12 clubs across the country with the w ...

side

Aizawl Aizawl (; Mizo: ) is the capital of the state of Mizoram in India. Aizawl was officially established on 25 February 1890. With a population of 293,416, it is the largest city in the state. It is also the centre of administration containing all ...

on loan from Rangdajied United for the remainder of the 2015–16 season. Thopi made his professional debut in the Indian first division three days later on 28 February against

Bengaluru FC Bengaluru Football Club () is an Indian professional football club based in Bangalore, Karnataka. The club competes in the Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football. The club was established on 20 July 2013, and began its first ...

. He came on as an 82nd-minute substitute as Aizawl lost the match 1–0. On 22 August 2016, Thopi made his return to Rangdajied United by scoring a goal for the side as they were defeated by Shillong Lajong in the first match of the

Shillong Premier League The Shillong Premier League (currently known as Officer's Choice Blue Shillong Premier League for sponsorship reasons) is a top state-level football league in Indian state of Meghalaya Meghalaya (, or , meaning "abode of clouds"; from San ...

season 2–1. After the Shillong Premier League season, Thopi returned to his native Nagaland and played for various clubs including Naga, Barak, Khriekesa, and Kohima Eagles.

Career statistics

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thopi, Khwetelhi Living people Indian footballers Rangdajied United FC players Aizawl FC players Men's association football forwards Footballers from Nagaland Nagaland Premier League players Shillong Premier League players I-League players People from Phek district Year of birth missing (living people)