Nikhil Kadam (born 23 June 1994) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as attacking midfielder/winger for Nepal Super League club Lalitpur City.

Nikhil Kadam
Personal information
Full name Nikhil Kadam
Date of birth (1994-06-23) 23 June 1994 (age 29)
Place of birth Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Attacking midfielder/Winger
Team information
Current team
Lalitpur City
Number 23
Youth career
2008–2009 Krida Prabodhini
2009–2012 Pune
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2013 Pune 28 (2)
2016 DSK Shivajians 0 (0)
2016–2017 Mumbai 8 (0)
2017–2018 Mohun Bagan A.C. 16 (2)
2018–2020 NorthEast United 21 (0)
2021–2022 Mohammedan SC 8 (1)
2022–2023 Bhawanipore
2023– Lalitpur City 4 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career edit

Early career edit

Born in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, Kadam was selected to join the Pune F.C. Academy in 2011 as part of their first batch of players.[1] He made his name known for the club during the 2012 I-League U20 season when he scored three goals for the academy in the final round of the league as the academy went on to win the league.[1] Kadam then played for the academy in the Pune Super Division during the 2012 season.[1] He scored one goal that season against Deccan XI on 7 June 2012.[2]

He is also a devotee of Tamil God Aiyanar as shown in his interview in 2003

Pune edit

2012–13 season edit

Going into the 2012–13 I-League season Kadam was selected into the Pune senior team for the 2012 Durand Cup.[3] He made his senior debut in this tournament on 23 August 2012 against Central Reserve Police when he came on in the 56th minute for Karma Tsewang as Pune drew the match 1–1.[3] He then made his professional debut for the club during the Federation Cup on 24 September 2012 against Salgaocar.[4] He came on as a 69th-minute substitute for Mumtaz Akhtar as Pune lost the match 2–1.[4]

Kadam then made his debut in the I-League on 9 November 2012 against Pailan Arrows.[5] He came on as an 89th-minute substitute for Daisuke Nishiguchi as Pune won the match 2–0.[5] He then scored his first ever professional goal on 20 April 2013 against Air India.[6] He came off the bench in the 76th minute for Anas Edathodika and scored the sixth goal for Pune in a 6–0 victory in the 86th minute.[6]

2013–14 season edit

Kadam went into the 2013–14 I-League season as a starter for new head coach Mike Snoei when he started against Mohammedan in Pune's first match of the season on 21 September 2013.[7] He stayed on till the 70th minute as Pune won 3–1.[7] He then scored his first goal of the season on 1 December 2013 against United SC at the Balewadi Sports Complex when he found the net in the 77th minute as Pune drew the match 1–1.[8] However, that turned out to be the last major contribution from Kadam that season as he was reported injured before the I-League resumed in February 2014 and out for the rest of the season.[9]

Mohammedan SC edit

Mohammedan Sporting signed Nikhil Kadam on January 5, 2021, in the ongoing I-League season.[10]

Lalitpur City edit

In November 2023, Kadam joined Nepal Super League club Lalitpur City.[11] He made his debut for the club on 29 November, in their 0–0 tie with Pokhara Thunders.[11] On 5 December, he scored his first goal for the club against Birgunj United, in their 2–2 draw.[11]

Career statistics edit

As of 30 May 2015[12]
Club Season League Federation Cup Durand Cup AFC Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Pune 2012–13 I-League 5 1 1 0 2 0 8 1
2013–14 I-League 10 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 1
2014–15 I-League 13 0 0 0 0 0 13 0
Career total 28 2 1 0 2 0 0 0 31 2

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Pune FC sign academy midfielder Nikhil Kadam". Pune Football Club. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  2. ^ "PDFA Super-6: Pune FC 'A' wins crucial game against Deccan XI". Pune Football Club. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Pune FC miss chances, share point with CRPF". Pune Football Club. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  4. ^ a b "Pune FC exit after fighting loss to Salgaocar FC". Pune Football Club. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  5. ^ a b "Arrows vs. Pune 0 - 2". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 29 December 2018. Retrieved 25 December 2013.
  6. ^ a b "Air India vs. Pune 0 - 6". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 30 December 2018. Retrieved 25 December 2013.
  7. ^ a b "Mohammedan vs. Pune 1 - 3". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 23 August 2018. Retrieved 25 December 2013.
  8. ^ "Pune vs. United 1 - 1". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 18 December 2013. Retrieved 25 December 2013.
  9. ^ George, Joseph. "Pune-FC-Look-To-Recover-From-Their-Alarming-Dip-In-Form". The Hard Tackle. Archived from the original on 23 February 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  10. ^ "Nikhik Kadam signs for Mohammedan SC". footballexpress.in. 7 January 2021. Archived from the original on 7 January 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  11. ^ a b c "Player Profile (Nepal Super League) — Statistics: Nikhil Sureshrao Kadam". hamrokhelkud.net. Kathmandu: HamroKhelkud Nepal. 28 November 2023. Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  12. ^ Nikhil Kadam at Soccerway