Vibin Mohanan (born 6 February 2003) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters.

Vibin Mohanan
Personal information
Full name Vibin Mohanan
Date of birth (2003-02-06) 6 February 2003 (age 21)
Place of birth Thrissur, Kerala, India
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Central midfielder, defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
Kerala Blasters
Number 8
Youth career
2012–2017 Kerala Police Academy
2017–2020 Kerala Blasters
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2023 Kerala Blasters B 9 (0)
2020–2022 Indian Arrows (loan) 29 (1)
2022– Kerala Blasters 18 (1)
International career
2022 India U20 4 (0)
2023– India U23 2 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  India
SAFF U-20 Championship
Winner 2022 India
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 13:30, 13 March 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15:44, 19 September 2023 (UTC)

Club career edit

Kerala Blasters edit

Youth and early career edit

When he was nine, Vibin joined the Kerala Police Football Academy in 2012 where he was trained under I.M. Vijayan. In 2017, Vibin was selected into the Kerala Blasters U-15 team where he played for the side in the Hero Junior League.[1] In November 2020, he was loaned to Indian Arrows, an All India Football Federation-owned team that would consist of India under-20 players to give them playing time. He also captained the team during the loan stint.[2] Vibin made his first professional appearance for Indian Arrows on 10 January 2021 against Churchill Brothers by coming as a substitute on second half. He scored his first goal for the Arrows on 2 April 2022 against Real Kashmir.[3]

2022–2023: Rise to the first team edit

After spending two seasons on loan with Indian Arrows, Vibin returned to the Blasters. In August 2022, with the first team preparing for the 2022–23 Indian Super League season, Kerala Blasters fielded their reserves for the 2022 Durand Cup, where Vibin was also included in the squad for the tournament. He made his debut for the side on 19 August 2022 against Sudeva Delhi FC which ended in a draw.[4] He made five appearances for the side and provided one assist during the tournament.

In October 2022, Vibin got promoted into the senior team after he was included in the Blasters squad for the 2022–23 Indian Super League season.[5] He made his first team debut for the Blasters when he came on in the 84th minute during a 4–0 loss against Mumbai City on 8 January 2023.[6] Vibin was included in the Blasters' starting eleven for the first time against Hyderabad on 26 February, which the Blasters lost 1–0, where he played for the entire 90 minutes.[7] In July 2023, the club sent Vibin to Greece for a one-month training stint with the Greek First Division club OFI Crete.[8]

2023–present edit

On 18 August 2023, Vibin provided his first ever assist for the senior team during the 2023 Durand cup group stage in a match against Bengaluru FC reserves, which ended in 2–2 draw.[9] In the next match against Indian Air Force on 21 August, he provided two assists, helping the Blasters in a 5–0 victory.[10][11] Vibin played his first match of the 2023–24 Indian Super League season on 9 September against Bengaluru FC by coming as a substitute in the injury time. In the absence of Jeakson Singh, who suffered a shoulder injury in October, Vibin cemented his place in the team.[12] In December 2023, Vibin was awarded the Indian Super League's Emerging Player of the Month for November. He executed 112 successful passes, maintaining an 84.9% success rate, including 18 successful long passes, the second-highest among outfield players during this period. Vibin also won possession 25 times, more than any other player in November, and triumphed in 13 duels.[13] He sustained an injury during the Blasters' home win against Mumbai City FC on 24 December. He came back to action on 24 February 2024 against FC Goa in a 4–0 victory.[14] Vibin scored his first goal for the Blasters on 13 March against Mohun Bagan SG in a 3–4 loss at home.[15]

International career edit

Youth team edit

In June 2022, Vibin was included in the final 23-member squad of the Indian under-20 national team to participate in the 2022 SAFF U-20 Championship.[16] He made his debut for the side on 27 July in a 2–0 loss against Bangladesh.[17] He made four appearances in the tournament and helped his side to win the title for the fourth time in its history.[18] In September 2023, Vibin was included in the squad of the Indian under-23 national team to participate in the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualification.[19] He made his debut against China on 9 September 2023 in a 2–1 loss.[20]

Career statistics edit

Club edit

As of match played 3 December 2023[21]
Club statistics
Club Season League National Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Indian Arrows 2020–21 I-League 12 0 0 0 12 0
2021–22 I-League 17 1 0 0 17 1
Total 29 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 29 1
Kerala Blasters 2022–23 Indian Super League 3 0 5 0 3[a] 0 11 0
2023–24 Indian Super League 9 0 2 0 11 1
Total 12 0 7 0 0 0 3 0 22 0
Career totals 41 1 7 0 0 0 3 0 51 2
  1. ^ One appearance in the 2022–23 Indian Super League playoffs, two appearances in the Indian Super Cup

Honours edit

India U20

Individual

References edit

  1. ^ "ഇതാ കേരള ബ്ലാസ്റ്റേഴ്സിന്റെ അടുത്ത സൂപ്പർ താരം, ആരാണ് വിബിൻ മോഹനൻ? അറിയാം..." Samayam Malayalam (in Malayalam). Archived from the original on 14 April 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  2. ^ Thanveer, Dakir Mohammed (27 February 2023). ""Not a lot of them in India" - Ivan Vukomanovic picks Vibin Mohanan as a positive on another underwhelming night for Kerala Blasters". www.sportskeeda.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  3. ^ "Indian Arrows vs. Churchill Brothers - Football Match Summary - January 10, 2021". ESPN. Archived from the original on 5 November 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  4. ^ "Highlights Sudeva Delhi vs Kerala Blasters, Durand Cup 2022: Kuki Cancels Out Ajsal's Opener to Earn a 1-1 Draw". India.com. 19 August 2022. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  5. ^ Biswas, Joseph (5 October 2022). "Kerala Blasters announce official squad for ISL 2022-23 season". Khel Now. Archived from the original on 9 January 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  6. ^ "ISL: Diaz brace hurts his former club as Mumbai crush Kerala Blasters". OnManorama. Archived from the original on 9 January 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  7. ^ Sportstar, Team (26 February 2023). "Kerala Blasters vs Hyderabad FC, ISL Highlights: Herrera goal helps HFC to 1-0 over KBFC". sportstar.thehindu.com. Archived from the original on 26 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  8. ^ "Kerala Blasters midfielder Vibin Mohanan to train with Greece club OFI Crete". OnManorama. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  9. ^ "Bengaluru FC 2-2 Kerala Blasters Highlights: 10-man KBFC draws Souther derby, gets eliminated from Durand Cup". Sportstar. 18 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  10. ^ "KBFC 5-0 IAFT, Durand Cup Highlights: Bidyashagar hat-trick helps Kerala Blasters to big win against Indian Air Force". Sportstar. 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  11. ^ "From Parthib Gogoi to Vibin Mohanan – Young Indian players to watch out for in ISL 2023-24". Indian Super League. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  12. ^ "Kerala Blasters FC's Rising Star: Vibin Mohanan Clinches Emerging Player". Sportz Business. 15 December 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  13. ^ "Kerala Blasters FC's Vibin named Emerging Player of the Month for November 2023". www.indiansuperleague.com. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  14. ^ "Kerala Blasters FC head coach Vukomanovic reveals return dates for injured players". www.indiansuperleague.com. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  15. ^ Sportstar, Team (13 March 2024). "Kerala Blasters vs Mohun Bagan Super Giant ISL Highlights: Sadiku double helps MBSG to 4-3 win over KBFC". Sportstar. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  16. ^ "India announce squad for SAFF U-20 Championship". Deccan Herald. 23 July 2022. Archived from the original on 11 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  17. ^ Sarkar, Sattyik (27 July 2022). "India lose to Bangladesh in SAFF-U-20 Championship opener". Khel Now. Archived from the original on 27 July 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  18. ^ Sarkar, Uttiyo (7 August 2022). "SAFF U-20 Championship 2022 review: India retain title". Khel Now. Archived from the original on 11 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  19. ^ "Clifford Miranda names 23-member squad for AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers". Sportstar. 1 September 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  20. ^ "Match Report of China PR U23 vs India U23 - 2023-09-09 - AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualification - Global Sports Archive". globalsportsarchive.com. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  21. ^ Vibin Mohanan at Soccerway
  22. ^ "India beats Bangladesh to clinch U20 SAFF Championship". sportstar.thehindu.com. Bhubaneswar, Odisha: Sportstar. 5 August 2022. Archived from the original on 5 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  23. ^ "Kerala Blasters FC's Vibin named Emerging Player of the Month for November 2023". Indian Super League. 14 December 2023. Archived from the original on 14 December 2023.