Anirudh Thapa

Anirudh Thapa

Thapa playing for India at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup
Personal information
Full name	Anirudh Thapa
Date of birth	(1998-01-15) 15 January 1998 (age 26)
Place of birth	Dehradun, India
Height	1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	Mohun Bagan SG
Number	7
Youth career
2008–2012	St. Stephen's Academy
2012–2016	AIFF Elite Academy
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2016–2023	Chennaiyin	103	(8)
2017	→ Minerva Punjab (loan)	14	(1)
2023–	Mohun Bagan SG	21	(2)
International career‡
2012–2014	India U17	5	(3)
2015	India U19	4	(2)
2017	India U23	5	(2)
2017–	India	57	(4)
Medal record Men's football Representing   India SAFF Championship Winner 2021 Maldives Winner 2023 India
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:41, 10 April 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:00, 13 January 2024 (UTC)

Anirudh Thapa (born 15 January 1998) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Indian Super League club Mohun Bagan SG and the India national team.

Club career

Early life and youth career

Thapa was born in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, where he started his schooling at St. Joseph's Academy. He began playing football at the age of 10 at the St. Stephen's Football Academy in Chandigarh. ^[1] After spending time with the India U14 side, he was selected to join the AIFF Regional Academy in Kalyani in 2012. ^[1] As he moved up the national youth team ranks, Thapa moved into the AIFF Elite Academy where he became captain of the side in the I-League U19. ^[1] In April 2016 Thapa, along with four other players, was selected to join French Ligue 2 side Metz on a short training-stint which was sponsored by Indian Super League side Chennaiyin. ^[2]

Indian Super League

Chennaiyin

On 1 July 2016, ISL club Chennaiyin signed Thapa along with four other players on a long term deal. ^[3] Thapa was named in the squad as a developmental player for the 2016 Indian Super League season. ^[4] In November 2016, due to the injury to Dhanachandra Singh, which ruled the midfielder out for the rest of the ISL season, Thapa was put into the Chennaiyin squad as a replacement. ^[5] He made his professional debut for the team on 1 December 2016, in his side's final match of the season against Goa. He started the match and played 67 minutes which ended in a 5-4 loss. He almost scored his first goal but unfortunately it was given as an own goal. ^[6]

I-League

Minerva Punjab (loan)

On 27 December 2016, after the conclusion of the 2016 Indian Super League season, Thapa signed for Minerva Punjab of the I-League on loan for the 2016–17 I-League season. ^[7] He made his debut for the club against Mohun Bagan on 17 January 2017 in a 4-0 loss. On 4 February 2017, he scored his first professional goal of his career against Mumbai in a 2-1 win, which also was the club's first ever win in the top flight. ^[8] He made his last appearance for the club on 23 April 2017, against East Bengal. He finished the season with 1 goal while playing 14 matches, as the club finished second from bottom in the league, avoiding relegation to the I-League 2nd Division only by head-to-head points to Mumbai.

Return to Chennaiyin

2017–18 season

Thapa returned to Chennaiyin on 31 May 2017, after his loan spell with Minerva Punjab. He was named in the squad for the 2017-18 Indian Super League season which commenced from 17 November 2017. ^[9] He made his first appearance of the season against Pune City on 3 December 2017, coming on as a 76th-minute substitute for Bikramjit Singh in a 1-0 win. He scored his first goal for Chennaiyin against NorthEast United in a 3-1 loss. On 25 January 2018, he produced a man of the match performance against defending champions ATK for which he received great plaudits. Former Chennaiyin head coach John Gregory even stated Thapa "as the next big thing in Indian football". On 10 March 2018, he scored his second goal of the season against Goa in the 1st leg of the semi-final playoffs. ^[10] He played in the final on 17 March 2018, against Bengaluru, coming on as a substitute as Chennaiyin won by the margin of 3-2, thus winning him his first league title. ^[11]

2018–19 season

After his breakthrough season, 2018–19 Indian Super League season was a learning curve for Thapa, who was a regular fixture in the starting line-up. Chennaiyin, with just nine points, finished a lowly 10th on the points table. His form, perhaps, took a hit because of the non-stop football he has played for the past 12 months. ^[12] He played 18 matches for the club in the ISL season, from which he started 12 of them. He also made 8 appearances for the club in the 2019 AFC Cup, scoring a deflected goal against Abahani on 30 April 2019, but Chennaiyin failed to qualify from the group stage.

2019–20 season

After a disappointing last season, Chennaiyin qualified for the playoffs by finishing 4th on the points table. Thapa was the centre of their resurgence as he amassed 1 goal and 6 assists during the season. However Chennaiyin lost in the final to ATK by the margin of 3-1 on 14 March 2020. ^[13] After the conclusion of the season, Thapa stated that "he felt an improvement in his individual game". ^[14]

2020–21 season

On 24 November 2020, Thapa scored in the first league match of the 2020–21 Indian Super League season, in 52 seconds against Jamshedpur to become the first Indian goal-scorer of the season. On 4 December 2020, the 22-year old midfielder was injured and substituted in the 16th minute against Bengaluru. He took a knock to his right ankle ^[15] He was forced to sit out the 2-1 loss against Mumbai City on 9 December 2020. Fortunately for the club, Thapa returned to full training ahead of its Indian Super League match against NorthEast United on 13 December 2020. ^[16]

2021-22 season

For the 2021–22 Indian Super League season, Thapa was assigned as the captain of the club. ^[17] On 29 November 2021, Thapa scored the winning goal against Northeast United as his team won 2-1.

International career

Thapa celebrating his goal with the captain Sunil Chhetri at 2019 AFC Asian Cup group match against Thailand.

Thapa first represented India at the U14 level. He was part of the U16 side that won the 2013 SAFF U16 Championship and participated in the qualifiers for the AFC U16 Championship. Thapa then went on to represent the U19 side in the SAFF U19 Championship.

On 6 January 2019, Thapa scored his first ever international goal in a 4–1 win against Thailand in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. He scored the second goal against the same opponent in 2019 King's Cup which India won 1–0.

Career statistics

Club

As of 19 April 2023 ^[18]

Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Chennaiyin	2016	Indian Super League	1	0	—		—		—		1	0
	2017–18		16	2	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	—		—		17	2
	2018–19		18	0	5 [lower-alpha 1]	2	—		8 [lower-alpha 2]	1	31	3
	2019–20		20	1	—		—		—		20	1
	2020–21		14	2	—		—		—		14	2
	2021–22		18	1	—		—		—		18	1
	2022–23		16	2	3 [lower-alpha 1]	0	5 [lower-alpha 3]	2	—		24	4
	Chennaiyin Total		103	8	9	2	5	2	8	1	125	13
Minerva Punjab (loan)	2016–17	I-League	14	1	—		—		—		14	1
Mohun Bagan SG	2023–24	Indian Super League	0	0	—		—		—		0	0
Career total			117	9	9	2	5	2	8	1	139	14

1. Appearance(s) in Super Cup
2. Appearance(s) in AFC Cup
3. Appearance(s) in Durand Cup

International

As of 23 January 2024 ^[19]

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
India	2017	2	0
	2018	12	0
	2019	10	2
	2021	8	1
	2022	6	0
	2023	15	1
	2024	3	0
Total		56	4

International goals

Scores and results list India's goal tally first.

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	6 January 2019	Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates	15	Thailand	3–1	4–1	2019 AFC Asian Cup
2.	8 June 2019	Chang Arena, Buriram, Thailand	18	Thailand	1–0	1–0	2019 King's Cup
3.	2 September 2021	Dasharath Rangasala, Kathmandu, Nepal	26	Nepal	1–1	1–1	Friendly
4.	22 March 2023	Khuman Lampak Main Stadium, Imphal, India	39	Myanmar	1–0	1–0	Friendly

Honours

Mohun Bagan

• Durand Cup: 2023

Chennaiyin

• Indian Super League: 2017–18; runner-up 2019–20

India

• SAFF Championship: 2021; runner-up: 2018
• Tri-Nation Series: 2017, 2023
• Intercontinental Cup: 2018, 2023
• King's Cup third place: 2019

Individual

• AIFF Men's Emerging Footballer Of The Year: 2017–2018, 2019–20 ^[20]
• Indian Super League Hero of the Month: February 2023 ^[21]

References

1. "Anirudh Thapa captain of the Indian National Football Team (Under-19)". Indian Gorkhas. 1 June 2016. Archived from the original on 2 December 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
2. Talwar, Gaurav (22 April 2016). "Doon boy Anirudh to train with French football club FC Metz". The Times of India . Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
3. "Chennaiyin FC signs five AIFF Academy cadets". 1 July 2016. Archived from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
4. "Chennaiyin announces squad for upcoming ISL season". 29 September 2016. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
5. "Chennaiyin FC's Dhanachandra Singh ruled out of the season with knee injury". Goal.com. 6 November 2016. Archived from the original on 1 December 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
6. "Goa vs. Chennaiyin". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 26 May 2018. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
7. "Anirudh Thapa signs for Minerva Punjab". 27 December 2016. Archived from the original on 3 December 2018. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
8. "Anirudh Thapa's first goal for Minerva Punjab". 4 February 2017. Archived from the original on 3 October 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
9. "Anirudh Thapa named in squad for Chennaiyin". 14 November 2017. Archived from the original on 16 April 2018. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
10. "Anirudh Thapa's goal in 1st leg semi-final playoffs". 10 March 2018. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
11. "Anirudh Thapa's first league title". 17 March 2018. Archived from the original on 17 March 2018. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
12. "Mindful of workload on Thapa, but youngsters must adapt to demands". 9 April 2019. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
13. "ATK Beat Chennaiyin FC Behind Closed Doors To Win Record 3rd Title". 14 March 2020. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
14. "Anirudh Thapa: 'This ISL season was satisfactory overall'". 19 March 2020. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
15. "Anirudh Thapa's injury". 4 December 2020. Archived from the original on 5 December 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
16. "Anirudh Thapa returns to full training". 12 December 2020. Archived from the original on 13 December 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
17. Sportstar, Team (15 November 2021). "ISL 2021-22: Thapa named new Chennaiyin FC captain". Sportstar. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
18. Anirudh Thapa at Soccerway
19. Anirudh Thapa at National-Football-Teams.com
20. "Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Sanju win 2019-20 AIFF Player of the Year Award". Archived from the original on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
21. "Anirudh Thapa – February 2023's Hero of the Month – Hero ISL 2022-23". indiansuperleague.com. Indian Super League. 16 March 2023. Archived from the original on 18 March 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2023.

External links

• Anirudh Thapa at ESPN FC
• Anirudh Thapa at FBref.com
• Anirudh Thapa at National-Football-Teams.com
• Anirudh Thapa at Soccerway.com
• Anirudh Thapa at WorldFootball.net
• Anirudh Thapa at the-AIFF.com
• Anirudh Thapa at India Super League