Wikipedia

Korou Singh

Thingujam Korou Singh (born 3 December 2006), commonly known as Korou Singh, is an Indian professional football player who plays as a midfielder for the Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters FC, as well as for their reserve team in the Kerala Premier League.[1] He is also the captain of the India national U-17 football team.[2]

Korou Singh
Personal information
Full name Thingujam Korou Singh
Date of birth (2006-12-03) 3 December 2006 (age 17)
Place of birth Chairel Manjil, Manipur, India
Position(s) Central midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Kerala Blasters
Number 25
Youth career
2020–2023 Sudeva Delhi U18
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2021–2023 Sudeva Delhi 0 (0)
2023– Kerala Blasters B 8 (2)
2023– Kerala Blasters 0 (0)
International career‡
2023– India U17 16 (4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:10, 22 January 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20:10, 22 January 2024 (UTC)

Club career edit

Early life and career edit

Born in Manipur, India, to a family of farmers, Korou began his youth career with the under-18 division of Sudeva Delhi FC, after capitalizing on a youth contract following a successful trials with the club in Imphal.[3] In 2021, Korou was named in Sudeva's squad for the 2021 Durand Cup, and started in their first group stage match against Jamshedpur FC on 6 September, which they lost 1–0.[4] He started again in the next match on 13 September against FC Goa, where he had an improved role in the game, but Sudeva lost yet again (2–1) by a single goal deficit resulting in their elimination from the tournament.[5]

Korou also represented them in the 2021–22 FD Senior Division, and scored a goal in their 3–1 win over Delhi United FC on 30 October 2021,[6] which earned him the man of the match award.[7] Korou also had a brief stint with the Sudeva's futsal team, where he represented them in the 2021–22 Futsal Club Championship, and scored his first goal of the tournament against Classic FA on 8 November 2021 in a 6–1 defeat.[8] He would then go on to score a brace in his final match for the futsal team in the tournament on 10 November against Real Kashmir, as Sudeva won the match 9–5 at full-time.[9] Korou would then leave Sudeva Delhi in 2023 after he was signed by the Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters FC.

Kerala Blasters edit

In August 2023, Korou was signed by the Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters FC following his performance in the 2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup, on an undisclosed transfer fee.[10] He was initially registered for the club's reserve team, whom he would represent in the 2023–24 Kerala Premier League.[11] He made his debut for the reserve team in the same tournament against Kerala Police on 26 November 2023, in which he scored his debut goal in the 46th minute but the Blasters' went down 1–2 in the campaign opener.[12] Korou scored his second of the tournament against MK Sporting Club on 13 December, where he scored in the 70th minute as the Blasters won the match with a high margin of 8–0.[13][14]

Whilst playing for the reserves, Korou was called up for the Blasters' senior-team's camp in Kolkata for 2024 Indian Super Cup tournament.[15][16] He made it to the squad for the club's match against Jamshedpur FC on 15 January 2024,[17] but was benched for the entirety of the match.[18] However, his senior-team debut would come on the next matchday on 20 January against NorthEast United FC, where he came in as a substitute for the Japanese midfielder Daisuke Sakai in the 77th minute,[19] but the Blasters lost the match 1–4 at full-time.[20]

International career edit

Youth edit

On 1 September 2022, Korou was called up for India U-17 squad for the 2022 SAFF U-17 Championship.[21] He then made his under-17 debut against Bhutan U-17 on 5 September 2022, which they won 0–3.[22] Korou would score his debut goal in the tournament's final on 14 September against Nepal U-17, where he scored in the 30th minute to double the lead, as India won the final 4–0 at full-time, thus helping the nation to lift their fourth SAFF U-17 title.[23] Korou then travelled to Oman for the under-17's preparatory friendly match ahead of the 2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup qualifiers, and started in the match against Oman U-17, where his performance was applauded as India won the match by the score of 1–3.[24] He scored his second goal for the junior team against Kuwait U-17 on 5 October 2022 in the 2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup qualifiers, where he scored the second goal of the match in the 66th minute, as India took the three points with a 3–0 win.[25][26] Korou was then called up for the under-17 squad that travelled to Ballari, Karnataka, to play three friendlies against Bengaluru FC U-18s,[27] in which he scored one goal each in the last two friendlies on 15 and 18 December.[28] Korou captained the Indian side for the first time in a friendly match against Qatar U-17 on 28 February 2023, where he scored the final goal for India in the injury-time of the second-half, as the Blue Colts won the match 3–0 at full-time.[29] He was then called up for the under-17 squad that travelled to Spain and Germany to play preparatory friendlies ahead of the 2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup.[30] During their Spanish tour, Korou would score once and provide two assists in their 1–4 win over Atlético Madrid U-16 on 19 April 2023,[31] and would then score India's only goal in their 1–3 defeat on 10 May against Getafe CF U-18s, before heading to Germany for the rest of the European tour.[32] On 30 May, Korou was named in the 23-member squad that travelled to Thailand for the 2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup,[33] and was subsequently announced as the captain of the Indian side for the tournament by the coach Bibiano Fernandes.[34] He started in all three group stage matches, and then scored in India's last match of the tournament against Japan U-17 on 23 June 2023, where he scored India's fourth goal of the match in the 79th, but the match ended with India losing by an 8–4 defeat.[35]

Personal life edit

Born in the village of Chairel Mangjil in Manipur, Korou started playing football at the age of nine.[36] His parents, who were farmers, passed away after being washed away by the high tides of a nearby river when Korou was just ten years old, and following which he lived in his cousins' household in Chairel Mangjil.[3] He has also expressed his admiration for the England international Phil Foden, whom he considers as his favourite football player.[3]

Career statistics edit

Club edit

As of matches played till 22 January 2024[37]
Club Season League Cup AFC Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goal Apps Goals
Sudeva Delhi FC 2021–22 I-League 0 0 0 0 – 2 0 2 0
Kerala Blasters FC B 2023–24 Kerala Premier League 8 2 0 0 – – 8 2
Kerala Blasters FC 2023–24 Indian Super League 0 0 1 0 – – 1 0
Career total 8 2 1 0 – 2 0 11 2

International edit

As of matches played till 22 January 2024[37]

India U-17 edit

Appearances and goals by year
Year Apps Goals
2022 13 3
2023 3 1
Total 16 4
International goals edit
As of matches played till 22 January 2024
Scores and results list India's goal tally first, and the score column indicates the score after each of Korou's goal.
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 14 September 2022 Colombo Racecourse, Colombo, Sri Lanka   Nepal U-17 2–0 4–0 2022 SAFF U-17 Championship [38]
2 5 October 2022 Prince Saud bin Jalawi Sports City, Khobar, Saudi Arabia   Kuwait U-17 2–0 3–0 2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup Qualifiers [39]
3 28 February 2023 Aspire Academy, Doha, Qatar   Qatar U-17 3–0 3–0 Friendly [40]
4 23 June 2023 Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand   Japan U-17 4–6 4–8 2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup [41]

Honours edit

International edit

Youth edit

India

References edit

  1. ^ "Korou Singh | Player Profile". All India Football Federation. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Korou Singh Thingujam to lead India in AFC U-17 Asian Cup". The Times of India. 13 June 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 14 June 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Lahiri, Dipankar (17 June 2023). "Manipuri farmers' orphan child leads new dawn of Indian football". thebridge.in. Archived from the original on 19 June 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  4. ^ Sportstar, Team (6 September 2021). "Jamshedpur FC 1-0 Sudeva FC Delhi HIGHLIGHTS: Jamshedpur beats Sudeva to win its first match in the Durand Cup". Sportstar. Archived from the original on 28 November 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Durand Cup 2021 Live Commentary: FC Goa vs Sudeva Delhi". Khel Now. Archived from the original on 28 November 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  6. ^ Sofascore. "Delhi United FC vs Sudeva Delhi FC live score, H2H and lineups | Sofascore". www.sofascore.com. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Sudeva Delhi FC wins by 3-1 against Delhi United FC! 💯
    Congrats to the squad on their roaring victory and kudos to Thingujam Korou Singh on winning the Man of the Match title🔥"    . Instagram. Sudeva Delhi FC. 1 November 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  8. ^ "Classic Football Academy put 6 past Sudeva Delhi FC". AIFF. 8 November 2021. Archived from the original on 22 January 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Telongjem FC, Sudeva Delhi FC sign off with comfortable victories". AIFF. 10 November 2021. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  10. ^ "Korou Singh completes move to Kerala Blasters". Khel Now. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  11. ^ Kerala Blasters FC [@KeralaBlasters] (25 November 2023). "Our young guns are all set! ⚽👊
    Presenting our squad for the 2023-24 season of the Kerala Premier League 🟡"     (Tweet). Retrieved 22 January 2024 – via Twitter.
  12. ^ Kerala Blasters FC [@KeralaBlasters] (26 November 2023). "A tough battle in our #KPL campaign opener as we go down fighting
    Let's re-group for the next one 💪"     (Tweet). Retrieved 22 January 2024 – via Twitter.
  13. ^ Kerala Blasters FC [@KeralaBlasters] (13 December 2023). "Brilliance and teamwork were on display as we scored 8️⃣ goals against MK Sporting Club with 6️⃣ different scorers! 🔥" (Tweet). Retrieved 22 January 2024 – via Twitter.
  14. ^ Sofascore. "Kerala Blasters Reserves vs MK Sporting Club live score, H2H and lineups | Sofascore". www.sofascore.com. Archived from the original on 22 January 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  15. ^ "Emerging Talent Thingujam Korou Singh Earns Kerala Blasters FC Call-Up for Kalinga Super Cup". First11. 12 January 2024. Archived from the original on 18 January 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  16. ^ Kerala Blasters FC [@KeralaBlasters] (12 January 2024). "As some of our first team players don the National colors 🇮🇳, reserve team players Ebindas, Korou, Marvan, and Aritra step into the limelight as they begin their training with the Senior team in Kolkata! 💪" (Tweet). Retrieved 22 January 2024 – via Twitter.
  17. ^ Kerala Blasters FC [@KeralaBlasters] (15 January 2024). "Our Starting XI 🙌
    Marko is back at the helm for #KBFCJFC ©️"     (Tweet). Retrieved 22 January 2024 – via Twitter.
  18. ^ Sportstar, Team (15 January 2024). "Kerala Blasters vs Jamshedpur Highlights, Kalinga Super Cup 2024: KBFC 2 - 3 JFC; Manzorro penalty sees JFC get close win". Sportstar. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  19. ^ Sofascore. "Kerala Blasters vs NorthEast United live score, H2H and lineups | Sofascore". www.sofascore.com. Archived from the original on 22 January 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  20. ^ Kerala Blasters FC [@KeralaBlasters] (21 January 2024). "𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐞! 💪
    It's been a remarkable journey for Korou, who made his first-team debut from the bench, and for Ebindas, who secured a spot on the squad list!"     (Tweet). Retrieved 22 January 2024 – via Twitter.
  21. ^ "India football squad for SAFF U-17 Championship named". The Times of India. 1 September 2022. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2 September 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  22. ^ Desk, The Bridge (5 September 2022). "SAFF U-17 Championship 2022: India defeat Bhutan 3-0 - Updates, Scores, Results, Live Blog". thebridge.in. Archived from the original on 5 July 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  23. ^ "SAFF U-17 Championship: India win title, defeat Nepal 4-0 in final". Hindustan Times. 14 September 2022. Archived from the original on 11 June 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  24. ^ PTI (27 September 2022). "India U-17 men's team beats Oman U-17 in friendly". Sportstar. Archived from the original on 24 September 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  25. ^ PTI (6 October 2022). "India record 3-0 win over Kuwait in AFC U-17 Asian Cup Qualifiers". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  26. ^ PTI (6 October 2022). "India beats Kuwait 3-0 in AFC U-17 Asian Cup Qualifiers". Sportstar. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  27. ^ "India U-17 Men's Team to play 3 friendlies against Bengaluru FC U-18s". www.the-aiff.com. Archived from the original on 9 December 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  28. ^ "AFC U17 Asian Cup - India's Road To FIFA U17 World Cup". 17 June 2023. Archived from the original on 22 September 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  29. ^ "India register solid win over Qatar in U-17 football friendly". The Times of India. 28 February 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  30. ^ "AIFF secretary general optimistic ahead of U-17 team's exposure tour of Europe". The Times of India. 8 April 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 27 April 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  31. ^ Desk, The Bridge (19 April 2023). "India U-17 wins big against Atletico Madrid U-16". thebridge.in. Archived from the original on 30 April 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  32. ^ PTI (10 May 2023). "India U17 loses 1-3 to Getafe U18". Sportstar. Archived from the original on 23 May 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  33. ^ PTI (30 May 2023). "Bibiano Fernandes announces 23-member India squad for AFC U-17 Asian Cup". Sportstar. Archived from the original on 1 October 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  34. ^ "Korou Singh Thingujam to skipper India in AFC U-17 Asian Cup". All India Football Federation. Archived from the original on 13 June 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  35. ^ "Fighting India lose 4-8 to Japan to crash out of AFC U-17 Asian Cup". The Times of India. 23 June 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 25 June 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  36. ^ "Cope, hope, and scope for India U-17s' Korou Singh". www.the-aiff.com. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  37. ^ a b Korou Singh at Soccerway
  38. ^ Sportstar, Team (14 September 2022). "India beats Nepal 4-0 to lift SAFF U-17 Championships title". Sportstar. Archived from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  39. ^ "India U-17 beat Kuwait 3-0, maintain flawless start in AFC U-17 Asian Cup Qualifiers". English.Mathrubhumi. 6 October 2022. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  40. ^ Sportstar, Team (28 February 2023). "India beats Qatar 3-0 in under-17 Friendly". Sportstar. Archived from the original on 1 October 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  41. ^ Scroll Staff (24 June 2023). "AFC U-17 Asian Cup: India exit the continental event after loss to Japan in final group game". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 15 July 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  42. ^ "SAFF U-17 Championship: India reinforce regional dominance with fourth crown". Olympics. 15 September 2022. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2024.

External links edit

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