Mohammed Azhar (Malayalam: മൊഹമ്മദ് അസ്ഹർ; born 20 January 2003) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters. He is the twin brother of Mohammed Aimen.[1]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 20 January 2003 | ||
| Place of birth | Lakshadweep, India | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Central midfielder, defensive midfielder, right-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Kerala Blasters | ||
| Number | 32 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Don Bosco FA | |||
| 2018–2022 | Kerala Blasters | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022–2023 | Kerala Blasters B | 7 | (0) |
| 2022– | Kerala Blasters | 20 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15:44, 22 March 2024 (UTC) | |||
Club career
editKerala Blasters
editYouth and early career
editAzhar joined the Kerala Blasters Academy in 2018 at the age of fifteen, along with his twin brother Aimen, after a short spell in the Don Bosco football academy. The twins had moved to Kerala from Lakshadweep for their schooling and attended the Kerala Blasters U-15 trials, getting selected in the process. Azhar came up through the ranks along with his brother and played for the under-15 and under-18 teams of Kerala Blasters.[2] He eventually played for the Kerala Blasters in the 2022 RFDL. He played 3 games in the tournament, which was held from 2022 April to May, where the team emerged as the runners-up and qualified for the Next Gen Cup. Azhar then played for the side in the Next Gen Cup held in United Kingdom in July 2022.[3]
2022–2023: Rise to the first team
editIn August 2022, with the first team preparing for the 2022–23 Indian Super League season in UAE, Kerala Blasters fielded their reserves for the 2022 Durand Cup, where Azhar was included in the squad.[4] He played the entire 90 minutes in all the five games and made two assists, which includes one to his own brother in the competition.[5] Azhar was then promoted to the club's senior team ahead of the 2022–23 season along with Aimen, to train with the first team on a developmental role during the 2022–23 Indian Super League season. During the season, he played for the reserve team in the 2022–23 Kerala Premier League and the 2023 RFDL. In November 2022, the twins were sent to Poland for a three week training stint with the Polish top tier club Rakow Czestochowa.[6]
In April 2023, Azhar was included in the Kerala Blasters squad for the 2023 Super Cup.[7] He was in the match-day squad for the group stage match against Bengaluru FC on 16 April, where he remained in the bench as an unused substitute.[8]
2023–2024: Contract extension and league debut
editOn 9 May 2023, Kerala Blasters announced that Azhar has signed a three-year contract extension with the club, that would keep him with them until 2026.[9] He finally made his official debut for the Blasters senior team on 13 August 2023 in the first group match of 2023 Durand Cup against Gokulam Kerala, which the Blasters lost 3–4, where he played for the entire 90 minutes in the central midfield position.[10][11] Azhar played one more game in the tournament on 21 August against Indian Air Force, where he played majority of the time as a right back.[12]
On 27 October, Azhar made his debut for the club in the Indian Super League against Odisha FC in a 2–1 win at home, by coming as a substitute in the 79th minute.[13] He was included in the Blasters' starting eleven during a league game for the first time against Punjab FC on 14 December, which the Blasters won 1–0, where he played for the entire 90 minutes.[14]
2024–present
editAzhar was named one among the Blasters' players to take part in the 2024 Durand Cup tournament. [15] He would score his senior debut goal on 10 August against CISF Protectors, where he scored the sixth of the night for the Blasters, as they won the match 7–0 at full-time.[16]
Personal life
editAzhar's twin brother Aimen is also a professional footballer; both twins joined Kerala Blasters academy at the same time in 2018. Born in Lakshadweep, the twins later grew up in Kochi, Kerala, as their father worked at the Lakshadweep Communication in Kochi.[17]
Career statistics
editClub
edit- As of matches played 10 August 2024[18]
| Club | Season | League | Cup[a] | Continental | Other[b] | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Kerala Blasters B | 2021–22 | RF Development League | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| 2022–23 | RF Development League | 4 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |||
| Kerala Blasters B total | 7 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | 12 | 0 | ||||
| Kerala Blasters | 2022–23 | Indian Super League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Indian Super League | 16 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 21 | 0 | ||
| 2024–25 | Indian Super League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||
| Kerala Blasters total | 16 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 4 | 1 | 23 | 1 | |||
| Career total | 23 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 9 | 1 | 35 | 1 | |||
- ^ Includes Super Cup
- ^ Includes Durand Cup
References
edit- ^ "Kerala Blasters academy graduates Aimen & Azhar to join Polish club Rakow Czestochowa for training". Khel Now. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ Santhosh, Aswathy (19 November 2022). "Kerala Blasters twins set to fly to Poland for three-week training". thebridge.in. Archived from the original on 18 November 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ "Kerala Blasters announce squad for Next Gen Cup 2022". Khel Now. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ "Kerala Blasters announces 21-man squad for Durand Cup". sportstar.thehindu.com. 17 August 2022. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ "Aimen's brace blasts Kerala past NorthEast United". The Hindu. 27 August 2022. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ "കേരള ബ്ലാസ്റ്റേഴ്സിന് ആവേശം സമ്മാനിക്കുന്ന വാർത്ത, രണ്ട് താരങ്ങൾ പരിശീലനത്തിനായി പോളണ്ടിലേക്ക്". Samayam Malayalam (in Malayalam). Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ "Super Cup 2023: Kerala Blasters announces 29-men squad". sportstar.thehindu.com. 3 April 2023. Archived from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ "Bengaluru FC 1-1 Kerala Blasters Highlights: Diamantakos, Roy Krishna score, BFC through to Super Cup 2023 semis". Sportstar. 16 April 2023. Archived from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ "ISL: Kerala Blasters extend contracts of youngsters Azhar, Aiman and Saheef". Khel Now. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ Desk, The Bridge (13 August 2023). "Twin brothers Aimen, Azhar among 5 locals in Kerala Blasters XI vs Gokulam". thebridge.in. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ Guha, Sayantan (13 August 2023). "Kerala Blasters FC vs Gokulam Kerala FC: Player ratings for the Yellow Army as they fall prey to their arch-rivals in Durand Cup 2023". www.sportskeeda.com. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ "Durand Cup 2023: Bidyashagar hat-trick powers Kerala Blasters to 5-0 win over Indian Air Force FT". Sportstar. 21 August 2023. Archived from the original on 25 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ Rayan, Stan (27 October 2023). "ISL 2023-24: Diamantakos and Luna's strikes lift Blasters against Odisha FC". Sportstar. Archived from the original on 27 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
- ^ Sportstar, Team (14 December 2023). "Punjab FC vs Kerala Blasters Highlights, PFC 0-1 KBFC, ISL 2023-24: Diamantakos' penalty hands Tuskers a hard fought win". Sportstar. Archived from the original on 14 December 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
- ^ Sportstar, Team (31 July 2024). "Durand Cup 2024: Kerala Blasters announces squad for tournament". Sportstar. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ^ Sharma, Amitabha Das (10 August 2024). "Durand Cup 2024: Kerala Blasters overwhelms CISF to brighten its quarterfinal chances". Sportstar. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ^ "Santosh Trophy: A bunch of fighters from Lakshadweep". sportstar.thehindu.com. 30 November 2021. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ Mohammed Azhar at Soccerway
External links
edit- Mohammed Azhar at Soccerway
- Mohammed Azhar at Indian Super League