Kiran Kumar Limbu ( ne, किरण चेम्जोङ), also known as Kiran Chemjong (born 24 March 1990), is a Nepalese 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

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

for

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 ...

club

RoundGlass Punjab RoundGlass Punjab FC is an Indian professional football club from Mohali in Punjab that competes in the Punjab State Super Football League and I-League. Founded as ''Minerva Academy FC'', in 2005, the club name was rebranded to ''Minerva Punjab ...

and the Nepal national team.

Club career

Born in

Dhankuta Dhankuta ( ne, धनकुटा ) is a hill town and the headquarter of Koshi Zone located in Dhankuta District of Eastern Nepal. According to 2011 Nepal census, it has population of 26,440 inhabitants. History Until about 1963 Dhankuta Ba ...

, Chemjong graduated from the

ANFA Anfa (Berber language: ''Anfa'' or ''Anaffa'', ⴰⵏⴼⴰ; ar, أنفا; es, Anafe; pt, Anafé) was the ancient toponym for Casablanca during the classical period. The city was founded by Berbers around the 10th century BC, with the Romans un ...

Academy and joined the

Machhindra Football Club Machhindra FC (formally known as Machhindra Bahal Club) is a Nepali professional football club from the central Kathmandu, neighborhood of Keltole, playing in the Martyr's Memorial A-Division League. History Machhindra FC was established in 197 ...

. After spending one year at the club Chemjong's impressive performances earned him a move to the

Three Star Club Three Star Club is a Nepali professional football club based in Patan, Lalitpur, that competes in the Qatar Airways Martyr's Memorial A-Division League, the top flight of Nepalese football. The club was previously known as the ''Laxmi Bank ...

in 2007. He has won ''British Gurkha Cup'' and ''Aaha Gold Cup Football Tournament''. After being the best goalkeeper of south Asia of the time, Kiran was offered by

TC Sports Club Trust and Care Sports Club (commonly known as TC Sports Club) is a Maldivian professional football club based in Malé. They have qualified for the Dhivehi League for the first time, after crowning the 2014 Second Division Football Tournament a ...

in January 2017. He played his first game for TC Sports Club in February 2017 and showed impressive performance, helping the club to win the match by 1–0.

Minerva Punjab

On January 23, 2018, he signed a deal with Hero I League club,

Minerva Punjab F.C. Minerva Academy FC (often referred to as Minerva Punjab) is an Indian professional multi-sports club based in Mohali, Punjab, best known for its football and cricket academies, and futsal team. Club's football section predominantly competed ...

for an undisclosed amount. He made his debut for the club in an away fixture against NEROCA. He saved a penalty in the 50th minute against

East Bengal ur, , common_name = East Bengal , status = Province of the Dominion of Pakistan , p1 = Bengal Presidency , flag_p1 = Flag of British Bengal.svg , s1 = East ...

, which was taken by

Katsumi Yusa is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Fukushima United. Career Sanfrecce Hiroshima Yusa debuted for Sanfrecce Hiroshima in a 2-2 home draw against Gamba Osaka in the 2007 J1 League on 1 December. Yusa also ma ...

. He was adjudged as the hero-of-the-match for that fine save. Kiran made total of 8 appearances for the club. He eventually won the

2017–18 I-League The 2017–18 I-League was the 11th season of the I-League. Aizawl were the defending champions. NEROCA entered as the promoted team from the 2016–17 I-League 2nd Division. The season began on 25 November 2017. Teams All India Football Feder ...

with Minerva.

RoundGlass Punjab

In September 2022, he signed for

club

International career

He is currently considered as the first choice goalkeeper in Nepal. He has a height advantage over more senior keepers like Bikash Malla and

Ritesh Thapa Ritesh Thapa ( ne, रितेश थापा; born 2 April 1986) is a former footballer from Nepal. He made his first appearance for the Nepal national football team in 2003. He played for Nepal Police Club. Club career Thapa was born in Itaha ...

. He has produced brilliant displays against oppositions bringing wide acclaims. Chemjong played debut match for Nepal in 2008 AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers held in

Phnom Penh Phnom Penh (; km, ភ្នំពេញ, ) is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since the French protectorate of Cambodia and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its economic, indus ...

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...

, although he broke his

jaw The jaw is any opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth, typically used for grasping and manipulating food. The term ''jaws'' is also broadly applied to the whole of the structures constituting the vault of the mouth and serv ...

in the match. He debuted at the home ground against Afghanistan. In the

2012 Nehru Cup The 2012 Nehru Cup was the 15th edition of the Nehru Cup and 3rd Nehru Cup since it was revived in 2007. It was held from 22 August to 2 September. The tournament was hosted in New Delhi, India. A total of 5 teams participated in the tournament ...

, Chemjong won the man of the match award in Nepal's game with

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. His performance in the match earned praise from the Indian newspaper

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...

and from the

Maldives Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...

head coach

István Urbányi István Urbányi (born 17 April 1967 in Salgótarján) is a Hungarian former football player and coach. Career As a player, he spent most of his career at Bp. Honvéd and Győri ETO as a defender and midfielder. In 1990, he played two games ...

Personal life

In 2015, along with Three Star teammate Bishnu Gurung, Chemjong paid a visit to malnourished children in an orphanage in

Pokhara Pokhara ( ne, पोखरा, ) is a metropolis, metropolitan city in Nepal, which serves as the capital of Gandaki Province. It is the List of cities in Nepal, second most populous city of Nepal after Kathmandu, with 518,452 inhabitants living ...

, saying afterwards that it was a "day to remember". On 31 August 2022, He married with his long time girlfriend Kanchan Niraula.

Club honours

Minerva Punjab *

: 2017–18 TC Sports *

Dhivehi Premier League Dhivehi Premier League is a Maldivian men's professional football league. At the top of the Maldives football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 10 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and releg ...

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

Maziya S&RC *

: 2022 Individual *

Best Goalkeeper:

Best Goalkeeper: 2019–20 *

Nepal Super League The Nepal Super League is Nepal's first professional franchise based football league organised by ''Nepal Sports and Events Management'' (NSEM) in technical support with ANFA. A total of seven franchises participated in the first tournament w ...

Best Goalkeeper:

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chemjong, Kiran 1990 births Living people People from Dhankuta Nepalese footballers Nepal international footballers Three Star Club players Nepalese expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in the Maldives Nepalese expatriate sportspeople in the Maldives Expatriate footballers in India Nepalese expatriate sportspeople in India machhindra F.C. players Manang Marshyangdi Club players RoundGlass Punjab FC players Maziya S&RC players I-League players Association football goalkeepers Limbu people Footballers at the 2018 Asian Games Asian Games competitors for Nepal T.C. Sports Club players