Vishal Kumar
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R. Vishal Kumar (born 30 July 1992) 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
right back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...
for Minerva Punjab in the
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 career


Early career

Born in
Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...
,
Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...
, it was in 2005 that football captured Vishal's imagination. The 8th standard student's enthusiasm caught the attention of
Sports Authority of India The Sports Authority of India, SAI, was set up in 1984 to carry forward the legacy of the 1982 Asian Games held in New Delhi under the Department of Sports. SAl has been entrusted with promoting sport in India and achieving sporting excellen ...
coach Mary Victoria, who asked him to attend the beginners' camp at Nandan ground in Austin Town. Later, she introduced him to veteran coach Dada Peer, who was in charge of the Department of Youth Services and Sports-run Sports School at Vidyanagar. "I failed in the selection trials. But Dada Peer Sir believed in my skills and ability and admitted me to the school," said Vishal. During his term in Department of Youth Services and Sports-run Sports School, he failed to impress State coaches during the trials for Under-16 team. "I could not get a look in when I was in ninth standard. But I was not ready to give up. I attended the trials next year and won my place," he said. The 29th edition of the sub-junior national championship for
Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy The Sub Junior National Football Championship, also known as Mir Iqbal Hussain Trophy, is an Indian annual football tournament for under-13 teams representing the states of India. It was formerly held for the U-16 age group before being converte ...
transformed his life forever. Karnataka's campaign ended in the semifinals, but the left wing back's career graph began to rise and he landed at the National camp in Gujarat. A couple of days before the camp concluded, Vishal was forced to return to Bangalore with a broken left forearm, which he sustained during the late stages of a match while attempting a
bicycle kick In association football, a bicycle kick, also known as an overhead kick or scissors kick, is an acrobatic strike where a player kicks an airborne ball rearward in midair. It is achieved by throwing the body backward up into the air and, before ...
. "I was shattered as I could not complete the camp. I had almost put my national aspirations to rest. But I was surprised when the team's technical director Colm Toal took me into the national squad, even as I was recovering from the injury. It was a dream come true for me," said Vishal. Now he carries Karnataka's football legacy at the national level, as he was the State's lone representative in the Indian probable list for the Olympic qualifiers against Qatar. He was also part of the
Indian Arrows Indian Arrows (formerly known as Pailan Arrows) is an Indian developmental football team that competes in the Indian national football tiers. They competed in the I-League. The club was formed by the All India Football Federation in 2010, wi ...
team that was formed with the main goal of nurturing young Indian football talents in the hope of qualifying for the
2018 World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded the hosting rights in l ...
in
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
From then on, he was a regular in the
India national under-16 football team The India national under-17 football team represents India in international football at the under-17 level. Controlled by the All India Football Federation, the governing body for football in India, the team is part of the Asian Football Conf ...
and
India national under-19 football team The India national under-20 football team represents India at all international under-20 tournaments. They act as the main feeder team for the India U-23 and the senior Indian football team. This team is for Indian players aged under 19 at th ...
national squads and he figured in the
2012 AFC U-19 Championship qualification The qualification for the 2012 AFC U-19 Championship. Format The teams have been divided into two zones – West (23) and East (16). The teams will be divided into seven groups of six and five teams each. West Zone will have three groups of six ...
preliminary round matches in Saudi Arabia and the final round in Uzbekistan. He also traveled to Germany, England, USA and Bhutan on various exposure-cum-competition trips.


Indian Arrows

After playing a few matches for HAL Bangalore in the
I-League 2nd Division The I-League 2 is an Indian men's professional association football, football league. It is the 3rd tier of the Indian football league system, behind the Indian Super League and the I-League. It operates as a system of promotion and relegation ...
, Vishal was selected to join the newly created
Pailan Arrows Indian Arrows (formerly known as Pailan Arrows) is an Indian developmental football team that competes in the Indian national football tiers. They competed in the I-League. The club was formed by the All India Football Federation in 2010, wi ...
(then ''AIFF XI'') of the
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 ...
, a team made up of entirely U21 players. On 3 December 2010, he made his I-League debut against
United SC The United Sports Club () is a professional football club based in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. United SC was founded in 1927. The club competes in the I-League 2, as well as the Calcutta Football League, the oldest football league in Asia. Un ...
, which was also the AIFF XI's first ever I-League match as well, at the
Salt Lake Stadium The Salt Lake Stadium, officially known as Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK), is a multi-purpose stadium, used mostly for football matches, located in Salt Lake City, Greater Kolkata, with a capacity of 68,000 spectators. Named after S ...
in
Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
in which he started as the AIFF XI went down 2–1. He appeared in 17 league matches in the first season.


Bengaluru FC

After spending three seasons with the
Pailan Arrows Indian Arrows (formerly known as Pailan Arrows) is an Indian developmental football team that competes in the Indian national football tiers. They competed in the I-League. The club was formed by the All India Football Federation in 2010, wi ...
, Vishal signed with new direct-entry side
Bengaluru FC Bengaluru Football Club () (Kannada: ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು.ಎಫ್.ಸಿ) is an Indian professional football club based in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The club competes in the Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football. The club w ...
for the 2013–14 season. He made his debut for the side in the club's
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 ...
opener against
Mohun Bagan A.C. Mohun Bagan Athletic Club is an Indian professional multi-sports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1889, it is one of the oldest multi-sports clubs in Asia. The club has various sports departments like football, cricket, hockey ...
on 22 September 2013 in which he started and played the full match as Bengaluru drew the match 1–1. The first goal scored by
Bengaluru FC Bengaluru Football Club () (Kannada: ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು.ಎಫ್.ಸಿ) is an Indian professional football club based in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The club competes in the Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football. The club w ...
was by an assist from Vishal. He was released by the club in November 2016.


International

Vishal has represented India at the U16, U19, and U23 levels.


Career statistics


Awards


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kumar, Vishal 1992 births Living people Footballers from Bengaluru Indian men's footballers Hindustan Aeronautics Limited SC players Indian Arrows players Bengaluru FC players Men's association football defenders I-League players I-League 2 players 21st-century Indian sportsmen India men's youth international footballers