Tondomba Singh Naorem (, born 1 February 1999) 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 lea ...

who plays as a

defensive midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

for

I-League The I-League is the men's second professional football division of the Indian football league system behind the Indian Super League. Administered by the All India Football Federation, it is currently contested by 13 clubs. It operates as a s ...

club

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

, on loan from

Indian Super League The Indian Super League (ISL) is a professional association football league in India and the highest level of the Indian football league system. Administered by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and its commercial partner Football Sport ...

club Mumbai City.

Career

Tondomba hails from Tentha, a small village in Thoubal district in

Manipur Manipur () is a state in northeastern India with Imphal as its capital. It borders the Indian states of Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north and shares the international border with Myanmar, specifically t ...

. The midfielder started playing football at very early, like all other children from his state. At youth level, Tondomba played for the

Shillong Lajong Shillong Lajong Football Club (founded as Lajong SC) is an Indian professional football club based in Shillong, Meghalaya. The club is currently competing in the I-League, the second tier of the Indian football league system, following promotio ...

Youth Academy and then the

NEROCA FC NEROCA Football Club (known fully as North Eastern Re-Organising Cultural Association Football Club) is an Indian professional association football, football club based in Imphal, Manipur, that currently competes in the I-League 2. It previousl ...

U-18. He left for Manipur State League side KLASA before returning to the senior team of NEROCA. On 27 October 2018, Tondomba made his professional debut in NEROCA home game against

East Bengal East Bengal (; ''Purbô Bangla/Purbôbongo'') was the eastern province of the Dominion of Pakistan, which covered the territory of modern-day Bangladesh. It consisted of the eastern portion of the Bengal region, and existed from 1947 until 195 ...

. The midfielder played a pivotal role in NEROCA's

2018–19 I-League The 2018–19 I-League was the 12th season of the I-League, the top Indian professional football league, since its establishment in 2007. The season started on 26 October 2018 and is scheduled to conclude in March 2019. Unlike the Indian Super L ...

campaign. His creativity in the midfield, passing ability and wing-play suited to the style of their former coach Manuel Retamero Fraile. On 17 May 2019, Tondomba joined

on a four-year deal.

NEROCA

In July 2022, Tondomba returned to

club NEROCA on loan from

club Mumbai City. On 18 August, he made his return debut in the Imphal Derby against

TRAU Trogir () is a historic town and harbour on the Adriatic coast in Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia, with a population of 10,107 (2021) and a total municipal population of 12,393 (2021). The historic part of the city is situated on a small island b ...

in the

Durand Cup The Durand Cup (also called the IndianOil Durand Cup Powered by Coal India Limited for sponsorship reasons) is an annual domestic football competition in India which was first held in 1888 in Annadale, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. Hosted by the ...

, which ended in a 3–1 win. He was awarded Player of the Match.

Career statistics

Club

References

Living people 1999 births Indian men's footballers NEROCA FC players People from Thoubal district Footballers from Manipur I-League players Men's association football midfielders East Bengal Club players Indian Super League players 21st-century Indian sportsmen Mumbai City FC players Delhi FC players {{India-footy-midfielder-stub