Nihal Sudeesh (born 18 June 2001) 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

Indian Super League The Indian Super League (ISL) is an Indian professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Indian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Organised by the All India Football Federat ...

club

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

, on loan from Kerala Blasters.

Career

Early life and career

Nihal was born in

Kochi Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

on 18 June 2001. Nihal joined the reserve squad of the

Kerala Blasters FC Kerala Blasters Football Club (), commonly referred to as The Blasters, is an Indian professional football club based in Kochi, Kerala, that competes in the Indian Super League, the top tier of football in India. The club was established ...

in 2019 and represented the side in the 2019–20 I-League 2nd Division season before leaving the club for the Durand Cup side

Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates sig ...

in 2021. After quitting his job at

, Nihal signed again for the Blasters' B team, where his performance in the

2022 Reliance Foundation Development League The 2022 Reliance Foundation Development League was the inaugural season of the Reliance Foundation Development League, the first developmental association football league organised by Reliance Foundation in technical support with AIFF. The sea ...

and in the 2022 Next Gen Cup earned him a promotion to the senior squad of the Kerala Blasters.

Kerala Blasters FC

2022–23: Debut season

In 2022, Nihal was included in the Kerala Blasters squad for the

2022–23 Indian Super League The 2022–23 Indian Super League is the ninth season of the Indian Super League, the first season as the only top division, and the 27th season of top tier Indian football. It commenced on 7 October 2022 and is scheduled to end in March 2023 ...

season. He was one among the seven native players for the club for the season. Nihal made his debut for the Blasters senior team in the Indian Super League on 23 October 2022 against Odisha FC by coming in as a substitute for

Hormipam Ruivah Hormipam Ruivah (born 25 January 2001) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters and the India national team. Club career Youth and early career Hormipam hails from Somdal Vi ...

in the 64th minute, but the Blasters lost the match 2–1 at full-time. He remained as an unused substitute for two months, and made his second appearance on 26 December in the returning fixture against Odisha as a substitute for

Rahul KP Rahul Kannoly Praveen (born 16 March 2000) commonly known as Rahul K P, is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a winger or forward for Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters and the India national team. Club career Youth and ear ...

in the 70th minute, which the Blasters won 1–0. Nihal was acclaimed by the media and fans for his short-performance against Odisha.

2023–24: Contract extension

After an impressive debut season, Nihal signed a thee-year contract extension with the Blasters till 2026. He played his first match of the 2023–24 season on 13 August 2023 against Gokulam Kerala FC in the

2023 Durand Cup The 2023 Durand Cup (also known as IndianOil Durand Cup due to sponsorship ties with the Indian Oil Corporation) was the 132nd edition of Durand Cup, the oldest football tournament in Asia, and the second edition since it was supported by the A ...

, which they lost by the score of 3–4 at full-time.

Career statistics

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sudeesh, Nihal Living people 2001 births Indian men's footballers Footballers from Kerala Sportspeople from Kochi Men's association football wingers Indian Super League players Kerala Blasters FC players Kerala Blasters FC Reserves and Academy players