Kerala Blasters have completed the signing of U-19 India International Sumit Sharma from Classic FA on a 3+2-year deal, as officially announced by the club on Monday. The Manipur-born Centre-Back was one of the key players in India’s SAFF U-19 triumph earlier this year, as well as in helping Classic FA win the AIFF U-17 Youth League in 2023-24. Sumit is known for his towering presence at over 6 feet in height and his Aerial prowess, being one of the main set-piece targets for the young Blue Tigers and scoring twice in blue, first against Indonesia and second against Bangladesh and with both being the solo match-winning goal of the game respectively.
Origins and Club Career:
Brahmacharimayum Sumit Sharma hails from the village of Haoreibi Awang Leikai in the Imphal West district of Manipur, where he lives in a joint family. His father is an artist – a singer for the traditional Meitei dance, Pung Cholom.
Sumit’s first major step in his career came when he joined the renowned Classic FA, with him getting the privilege to train under the oversight of former India captain and current Bengaluru FC Assistant Manager Renedy Singh.
Sumit later played a crucial role in his side’s AIFF U-17 Youth League Title Win in the 2023-24 Season. He would go on to get promoted to their RFDL side (U-21) the very next season, where they would top their group and ease past FC Goa (U-21), but would get defeated by the Mohun Bagan U-21 side in the Finals.
National Team:
After his aforementioned Youth League triumph with Classic FA in 2023-24, he was called up for trials to Srinagar for the U-17 National Team. Out of the almost 50 players called up for trials, Sumit made it into the Final 23, and he hasn’t had to look back since then. He became a mainstay under the then India U-17 Head Coach, Ishfaq Ahmed and ended up winning the SAFF U-17 Championship, with one of the highlights being his stoppage time winner against Bangladesh in his first competitive game for the Blue Colts.
He would remain in the U-17 squad for the AFC U-17 Qualifiers as well and capped a good display overall, but the Blue Colts fell short of Qualifying for the tournament with a 3-2 loss in their last game against the host, Thailand.
His stellar performances in the aforementioned tournaments would earn him the India U-19 call-up soon later in time for the SAFF U-19 Championship in Arunachal. He would cement himself as the starting choice CB once again and would end up winning back-to-back SAFF Championships, albeit for different age groups.
What’s Next?
Kerala Blasters are known for their focus on youth development, and it isn’t very hard to see why Sumit would choose Kochi as his next destination. The Men in Yellow have uplifted several promising talents to the big stage, with some of the major examples being Sahal, Vibin, Aimen-Azhar, etc., with the latest being Korou Singh. The Club’s other youth recruitments for the Senior team have also been largely successful, with the most recent example being that of Bikash Yumnam, who was one among the 6 Blasters who were called up for the Final 23-member squad of the India U-23 team and who also Captains the side now.
The goal for Sumit would be to break into the Blasters’ first 11 as early as possible and fight for his dream spot in the National Team from there, as this move marks a significant step up in his career trajectory.
Overall, Sumit is the third domestic signing this window for Kerala Blasters, with the first two being Amey Ranawade and Arsh Anwar Shaikh. The Club has reportedly paused major signings due to the uncertainties over ISL and has withdrawn from the Durand Cup as well, albeit having signed the participation agreement earlier. The Blasters would be hoping for the clouds to clear soon and then start acting decisively as a significant chunk of the Transfer Window has already been lost, and as for Sumit, surely the yellow army hopes to see him shine in yellow soon.
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