Naorem Mahesh Singh

In this Meitei name, the family name is Naoremand the given name is Mahesh."Singh" is a name suffix.

Mahesh Singh

Personal information
Full name	Naorem Mahesh Singh
Date of birth	(1999-03-01) 1 March 1999 (age 25)
Place of birth	Nambol, Manipur, India
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s)	Winger
Team information
Current team	East Bengal
Number	29
Youth career
	Birchandra Memorial Sporting Club
2017–2018	Shillong Lajong
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2018–2020	Shillong Lajong	20	(4)
2020	Kerala Blasters B	3	(1)
2020–2022	Kerala Blasters	0	(0)
2020–2021	→ Sudeva Delhi (loan)	14	(2)
2021–2022	→ East Bengal (loan)	18	(2)
2022–	East Bengal	68	(11)
International career‡
2023–	India	20	(3)
Medal record Men's football Representing   India SAFF Championship Winner 2023 India
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:15, 3 April 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:00, 25 March 2024 (UTC)

Naorem Mahesh Singh (born 1 March 1999) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Indian Super League club East Bengal and the India national team.

Club career

Early career

Born in Manipur, Singh began his career in his home state with Birchandra Memorial Sporting Club. ^[1] He soon joined the youth side of Shillong Lajong, playing for the club in the Shillong Premier League. ^[2]

Shillong Lajong

Prior to the 2018–19 season, Singh was promoted to the first-team. He made his professional debut for Shillong Lajong on 28 October 2018 against Aizawl. He scored a brace, two goals in the 20th and 51st minutes, as Shillong Lajong won 2–1. ^[3]

Kerala Blasters

In 2018, it was announced that Naorem had signed for the Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters from Shillong Lajong F.C. ^[4] Mahesh was part of Reserve squad of the club. Eventhough he impressed then Blasters assistant coach Ishfaq Ahmed, Mahesh never made an appearance for Kerala Blasters. He was loaned out to different clubs during his stint at Blasters.

Sudeva FC (loan)

In 2021, Mahesh was loaned to the I league side Sudeva Delhi for a season-long deal for getting enough playing time. He made 14 appearances and scored two goals for the club.

East Bengal

On loan from Kerala

Mahesh was loaned to Kolkata based club East Bengal in 2021. He made 18 appearances and scored 2 goals for them in the 2021–22 Indian Super League season. ^[5]

Permanent transfer

On 4 August 2022, Kerala Blasters announced the transfer of Mahesh to East Bengal for an undisclosed transfer fee. ^[6] On 18 November 2022, he scored against Odisha at the Salt Lake Stadium in a 2–4 loss for East Bengal. ^{[7] [8]} He bragged man of the match against Jamshedpur on 27 November 2022 after becoming the first Indian player to get three assists in a single Indian Super League game. ^[9] He scored again on 19 February 2023, against the Shield Champions Mumbai City at the Mumbai Football Arena in a 1–0 win for East Bengal. ^{[10] [11]}

In the 2023–24 season, Mahesh became runner-up in the 2023 Durand Cup, and on 23 September 2023, it was announced that Mahesh had signed a three-year extension with East Bengal till 2027. ^[12] He scored his first goal of the 2023 Indian Super League against Bengaluru on 3 October in a 2–1 defeat away at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium. ^[13] He scored again on 21 October 2023 against Goa in a 1–2 loss at the Kalinga Stadium. ^[14] Mahesh won the 2024 Indian Super Cup with East Bengal, having returned from the national team in time for the final of the tournament, and provide an assist for Nandhakumar Sekar as East Bengal won 3–2 against Odisha to end a twelve year wait for a major domestic trophy for the club. ^[15]

International career

On 14 March 2023, Singh was named amongst the eleven reserves for Indian senior squad for upcoming Hero Tri-Nation International Football Tournament. ^[16] Five days later, he was called up to the Indian senior camp for the first time, in place of Sivasakthi Narayanan, who withdrew through an injury. ^[17] He made his debut against Myanmar on 22 March, replacing Lallianzuala Chhangte after 70 minutes in a 1–0 victory. ^[18] Mahesh got his second appearance against Kyrgyzstan on 28 March, replacing Brandon Fernandes after 56 minute in a 2–0 victory.

On 24 June 2023, Mahesh got his first goal for the national team against Nepal in a 2–0 victory. ^[19] On 7 September, he scored his second goal in a 2(4)–2(5) semi-final loss against Iraq at the 2023 King's Cup. ^[20] On 13 October 2023, Mahesh got his third goal against Malaysia in the 2023 Merdeka Tournament in a 2–4 loss in the semi-final. ^[21]

Career statistics

Club

As of 3 April 2024 ^[22]

Club	Season	League			Cup		AFC		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Shillong Lajong	2018–19	I-League	20	4	0	0	—		20	4
Kerala Blasters B	2020	I-League 2nd Division	3	1	0	0	—		3	1
Kerala Blasters	2020–21	Indian Super League	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
Sudeva Delhi (loan)	2020–21	I-League	14	2	0	0	—		14	2
East Bengal (loan)	2021–22	Indian Super League	18	2	0	0	—		18	2
East Bengal	2022–23		19	2	5 [lower-alpha 1]	3	—		24	5
	2023–24		19	4	7 [lower-alpha 2]	1	—		26	5
	East Bengal total		56	8	12	4	0	0	68	12
Career total			87	15	12	4	0	0	99	19

1. 2 Appearances in the Durand Cup and 3 Appearances in the Super Cup.
2. 6 Appearances in the Durand Cup and 1 Appearance in the Super Cup.

International

As of 26 March 2024 ^[23]

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
India	2023	16	3
	2024	4	0
Total		20	3

International goals

India score listed first, score column indicates score after each Singh's goal. ^[23]

List of international goals scored by Naorem Mahesh Singh

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1	24 June 2023	Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru, India	8	Nepal	2–0	2–0	2023 SAFF Championship	[19]
2	7 September 2023	700th Anniversary Stadium, Chiang Mai, Thailand	12	Iraq	1–0	2–2 (4-5)	2023 King's Cup	[20]
3	13 October 2023	Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	14	Malaysia	1–1	2–4	2023 Merdeka Tournament	[21]

Honours

India

• India Tri-Nation Series: 2023 ^[24]
• Intercontinental Cup: 2023
• SAFF Championship: 2023

Kerala Blasters B

• Kerala Premier League: 2019–20

East Bengal

• Super Cup: 2024
• Durand Cup runner-up: 2023

Individual

• Indian Super League Emerging Player of the Month: November 2022 ^[25]

References

1. "Player List of Birchandra Memorial Sporting Club (BMSC) for Manchester United Premier Cup Football Asia SEAS Final Match 2013". E-Pao. 23 May 2013. Archived from the original on 14 November 2018. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
2. "Below par MLP lose 1-0 again, this time to Lajong". The Sports Room. 9 October 2018. Archived from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
3. "Shillong Lajong 2-1 Aizawl". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
4. "ISL 2020 - Kerala Blasters sign Lajong youth product Naorem Mahesh Singh". The Fan Garage. 26 August 2020. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
5. Sharma, Amitabha Das (19 January 2022). "ISL 2021-22: Mahesh scores twice to give SC East Bengal its first win". Sportstar. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
6. "Emami East Bengal announces list of 13 domestic players in senior squad". Sportstar. 3 August 2022. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
7. ISL Media Team (18 November 2022). "Pedro leads the charge as Odisha FC stun East Bengal FC with second-half comeback". Indian Super League. Archived from the original on 19 November 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
8. PTI (18 November 2022). "Odisha FC stun East Bengal with second-half comeback". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 19 November 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
9. ISL Media Team (27 November 2022). "When we play well, we are a difficult team to beat: East Bengal FC head coach Constantine". Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
10. ISL Media Team (19 February 2023). "East Bengal FC sour Mumbai City FC's Shield party with first ever win against the Islanders". Indian Super League. Archived from the original on 19 February 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
11. "ISL: East Bengal stun Mumbai City to record first win over The Islanders". The Times of India. 19 February 2023. Archived from the original on 19 February 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
12. "Naorem Mahesh Singh signs long-term extension at East Bengal". Khel Now. 23 September 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
13. ISL Media (4 October 2023). "REPORT: JAVI HERNANDEZ'S WONDER GOAL INSPIRES BENGALURU FC TO VICTORY OVER EAST BENGAL FC". Indian Super League. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
14. ISL Media (21 October 2023). "REPORT: FC GOA MAINTAIN PERFECT START WITH COMEBACK WIN OVER EAST BENGAL FC". Indian Super League. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
15. "12 years of pall of gloom lifted: East Bengal win a spine-chiller to take home Kalinga Super Cup". I-League. 28 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
16. "Igor Stimac names provisional squad ahead of Hero Tri-Nation International Football Tournament". The AIFF. 14 March 2023. Archived from the original on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
17. "Pritam Kotal, Naorem Mahesh Singh to join Blue Tigers camp". The AIFF. 19 March 2023. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
18. Ghosh, Soumo (22 March 2023). "Anirudh Thapa strikes in India's win over Myanmar in Hero Tri-Nation opener". the-aiff.com. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
19. "India 2-0 Nepal Football Highlights: Sunil Chhetri, Mahesh score as India enters SAFF Championship 2023 semifinals". Sportstar . The Hindu. 24 June 2023. Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
20. "King's Cup battle: Feisty India pay the penalty in shoot-out against Iraq". the-aiff.com. 7 September 2023. Archived from the original on 8 September 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
21. "India finish at the receiving end in Merdeka Tournament semi-finals" . Retrieved 14 October 2023.
22. Naorem Mahesh Singh at Soccerway
23. Naorem Mahesh Singh at National-Football-Teams.com
24. Rawat, Akhil. "India too good for Kyrgyz Republic; crowned Hero Tri-Nation champions in Imphal". AIFF. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
25. Indian Super League [@IndSuperLeague] (9 December 2022). "A memorable month for youngster #MaheshNaorem as he bags the Emerging Player of the Month for November 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣2️⃣!" (Tweet). Retrieved 11 December 2022– via Twitter.