Rahul KP
Personal information
Full name Rahul Kannoly Praveen
Date of birth (2000-03-16) 16 March 2000
Place of birth Mannuthy, Kerala, India
Height 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)
Position(s) Winger, Forward
Team information
Current team
 Kerala Blasters
Number 7
Youth career
Kerala State Football Team
AIFF Elite Academy
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2019 Indian Arrows 37 (5)
2019– Kerala Blasters 61 (7)
International career‡
2015–2018 India U17 7 (0)
2017–2019 India U20 3 (0)
2019–2023 India U23 7 (1)
2022– India 6 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 13:30, 27 December 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15:53, 21 November 2023 (UTC)

Rahul Kannoly Praveen (born 16 March 2000), known as Rahul KP is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a winger or forward for Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters and the India national team.

Club career

Youth and early career

Born in Thrissur, Kerala, Rahul played for the Thrissur district under-14 football team and later went on to play for the Kerala football team in the same age group. He was the top goalscorer in the under-14 category of the national championship held at Kolkata in 2013. On seeing his performance in the championship he was selected into the AIFF Elite Academy who was preparing for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup to be hosted in India.[1] After playing in the tournament, Rahul was selected to play for the Indian Arrows, an All India Football Federation-owned team that would consist of U-20 players to give them playing time.[2] He made his professional debut for the side in the Arrow's first match of the season against Chennai City. He started and played the whole match as Indian Arrows won 3–0.[3]

A month later, on 26 December, Rahul scored his first professional goal against Shillong Lajong. His 91st-minute goal was the last for the Arrows in a 3–0 victory.[4] He then scored again for the club in their next match against Mohun Bagan on 29 December. This time, his 33rd-minute goal was the equalizer as the Indian Arrows drew the match 1–1.[5] He became the first Indian player to score in the Indian Super Cup 2019 by scoring against Mumbai City FC during the qualification round.

Kerala Blasters: 2019–present

On 19 March 2019, he signed for Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters.[6] He made his debut on October 24, 2019, coming off the bench in the 54th minute as Kerala lost 1–0 to Mumbai City. On November 22 he scored his first competitive goal for the club in the 34th minute of the match against Hyderabad from the assist of Sahal as Kerala Blasters lost 2-1 and became the second youngest goalscorer for the club after Deependra Negi.[7] Even though he was ruled out in most matches due to injuries, Rahul made a total of eight appearances during the season.

In September 2020, Rahul extended his contract with the Blasters until 2025.[8] On 13 December, he scored his first goal of the 2020-21 season in the South Indian Derby against Bengaluru.[9] Rahul once again scored against Bengaluru FC on 20 January 2021. He scored the crucial winner in the 94th minute of the game, sealing the victory for Blasters.[10]

In 2021, he was named in the Kerala Blasters squad for 2021 Durand Cup, where he played all three matches for the club in the tournament.[11] Rahul played his first match of the 2021–22 Indian Super League season on 19 November in the season opener against ATK Mohun Bagan and assisted for the goal scored by Sahal Abdul Samad, before being substituted due to an injury.[12][13] The Blasters later confirmed that Rahul had suffered a partial tear on the groin muscle and would be out of action for minimum four weeks.[14][15][16] He came back to pitch in the match against Hyderabad on 23 February 2022, where he assisted to the only goal scored by the Blasters in their 2–1 defeat against the Nizams.[17][18] Rahul scored his first goal of the season in the final match of the 2021–22 ISL season against Hyderabad on 20 March, where his goal gave the lead for the Blasters initially, but the Blasters lost in penalty shoot-out after Hyderabad equalized in the last moments of the regular 90 minutes.[19]

On 25 November 2022, Rahul assisted Sahal for a goal in the 85th minute in a 3–0 away win against NorthEast United FC and won the Hero of the Match Award.[20] He scored his first goal of the season against ATK Mohun Bagan on 16 October, where he scored a long-range goal in the 81st minute, but the Blasters lost the match 2–5 at full-time.[21] His second goal of the season was the winner against Chennaiyin FC on 7 February 2023, which the Blasters won 2–1 after Rahul's goal helped the Blasters to secure a comeback in the Southern Derby.[22] Rahul was sent-off after receiving a second yellow against ATK Mohun Bagan in the returning fixture on 18 February, as the Blasters lost the match by a score of 2–1.[23] After the Blasters' elimination from the ISL season, Rahul was included in the Blasters' squad for the 2023 Indian Super Cup.[24] He played his first match of the tournament on 8 April as a substitute against RoundGlass Punjab FC for the Greek striker Dimitrios Diamantakos in the 67th minute,[25] which they won 3–1 after Rahul scored the last goal for the Blasters in the last seconds of the additional time.[26]

Rahul began his 2023–24 season with the match against Gokulam Kerala FC on 13 August 2023 in the 2023 Durand Cup tournament, where he came in as a substitute for Nihal Sudeesh, but they lost by the score of 3–4 at full-time.[27]

International career

Youth

Rahul represented the India under-17 team which participated in the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup for which India was the host nation.[1] He made his debut in the U-17 World Cup on 6 October 2022 in a 3–0 loss against the United States.[28] Rahul later went on to play for the India under-20 team and the India under-23 team.

Senior

On 20 September 2022, Rahul was named in India's squad for the Hung Tinh Friendly football tournament in Vietnam. He made his first senior appearance for India on 24 September 2022 in a 1–1 draw against Singapore by coming as a substitute for Ashique Kuruniyan in the 68th minute.[29] He is a member of the Indian team for the 2022 Asian Games.[30] He was the only goal scorer in a 1-5 loss against China.[31]

Personal life

In May 2021, Rahul was signed as the first ever South-Indian brand ambassador of MyFitness, India's first U.S. FDA registered Peanut Butter brand.[32]

Style of play

Rahul primarily plays as a right-winger and can be also deployed as a left-winger. He is naturally right-footed and is known for his speed, explosiveness, dribbling and work rate. Rahul has also been deployed as a striker on several games.[33]

Career statistics

Club statistics

As of matches played till 16 August 2023[34]
Club Season League Super Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals Apps GoalsAppsGoals
Indian Arrows 2017–18 I-League17211–– – –183
2018–19 20320–– – –223
Indian Arrows total 3753100 0 0406
Kerala Blasters 2019–20 Indian Super League8100–– – –81
2020–21 17300–– – –173
2021–22 7100–– 3 0101
2022–23 19 2 2 1 – – – – 21 3
2023–24 – – – – – – 1 0 1 0
Kerala Blasters total 5172100 4 0578
Career total 88125200 4 09714

International

As of 21 November 2023[35]
National team Year Apps Goals
India 2022 20
2023 40
Total60

Honours

Kerala Blasters

References

  1. 1 2 Selvaraj, Jonathan (3 October 2017). "How 14,000 became 21: The story of India's history boys". ESPN.in. Archived from the original on 10 November 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  2. ↑ "Matos Names 25-member Indian Arrows Squad for Hero I-league 2017-18". The All India Football Federation. 29 November 2017. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  3. ↑ "Indian Arrows 3-0 Chennai City". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  4. ↑ "Indian Arrows 3-0 Shillong Lajong". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 31 December 2017. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  5. ↑ "Mohun Bagan 1-1 Indian Arrows". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 31 December 2017. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  6. ↑ "ISL: Kerala Blasters sign Rahul KP". goal.com. 18 March 2019. Archived from the original on 28 June 2019. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  7. ↑ Soni, George M. (30 November 2019). "Sahal Samad and Rahul KP say they prefer to turn disappointments into motivation to play better". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 21 November 2020. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  8. ↑ "Rahul KP signs multi-year contract extension at Kerala Blasters". Khel Now. 21 September 2020. Archived from the original on 3 October 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  9. ↑ Sportstar, Team. "ISL 2020-21 highlights: Bengaluru FC beats Kerala Blasters 4-2". Sportstar. Archived from the original on 13 December 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  10. ↑ Arun George (21 January 2021). "ISL: Kerala 'counter' late to beat BFC | Football News - Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  11. ↑ Sportstar, Team. "Durand Cup 2021: Kerala Blasters FC announces squad". Sportstar. Archived from the original on 2 September 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  12. ↑ "ATK Mohun Bagan trounce Kerala Blasters in ISL 8 opener". www.goal.com. Archived from the original on 21 November 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  13. ↑ Sportstar, Team. "ISL 2021-22 Highlights ATK Mohun Bagan vs Kerala Blasters: ATKMB opens campaign with 4-2 win; Boumous scores brace on debut". Sportstar. Archived from the original on 19 November 2021. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  14. ↑ "Injury Update – Rahul KP - Kerala Blasters FC". Kerala Blasters FC. 22 November 2021. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  15. ↑ Sportstar, Team. "Kerala Blasters winger Rahul KP sidelined with groin injury". Sportstar. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  16. ↑ "രാഹുലിന്റെ പരിക്ക് : വിശദീകരണവുമായി കേരള ബ്ലാസ്റ്റേഴ്‌സ്" [Rahul Injured: Kerala Blasters Update]. Mathrubhumi. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  17. ↑ Sportstar, Team. "ISL 2021-22 Highlights HFC 2-1 KBFC: Ogbeche and Siverio guide Hyderabad to first ever semifinal". Sportstar. Archived from the original on 9 March 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  18. ↑ "ISL: Hyderabad qualify for semifinals with 2-1 win over Kerala". ANI News. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  19. 1 2 "ISL final: Hyderabad give Kerala the blues". The Indian Express. 21 March 2022. Archived from the original on 20 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  20. ↑ Sportstar, Team (5 November 2022). "NorthEast United FC vs Kerala Blasters HIGHLIGHTS ISL: Sahal double helps KBFC to 3-0 win over NEUFC". sportstar.thehindu.com. Archived from the original on 5 November 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  21. ↑ Chandran, M. R. Praveen (17 October 2022). "ATKMB wins 5-2 as Petratos' hat-trick destroys Kerala Blasters". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 21 November 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  22. ↑ "ISL: Kerala Blasters snatch a comeback 2-1 win against Chennaiyin FC". The Times of India. 7 February 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 8 February 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  23. ↑ Sportstar, Team (18 February 2023). "ATKMB 2-1 KBFC highlights: Mohun Bagan qualifies for playoffs after McHugh brace guides it to 2-1 win against Kerala Blasters". sportstar.thehindu.com. Archived from the original on 18 February 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  24. ↑ Sportstar, Team (3 April 2023). "Super Cup 2023: Kerala Blasters announces 29-men squad". sportstar.thehindu.com. Archived from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  25. ↑ Sportstar, Team (8 April 2023). "Kerala Blasters vs RoundGlass Punjab FC HIGHLIGHTS, Super Cup 2023: Diamantakos, Nishu and Rahul score to give Kerala 3-1 win". sportstar.thehindu.com. Archived from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  26. ↑ "Super Cup: Kerala Blasters start in style". The Times of India. 9 April 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 11 April 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  27. ↑ "Kerala Blasters 3-4 Gokulam Kerala Highlights: GKFC beats KBFC to win Kerala Derby in Durand Cup 2023". Sportstar. 13 August 2023. Archived from the original on 15 August 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  28. ↑ "India vs USA, FIFA Under-17 World Cup 2017: India lose 0-3 against USA in debut match". The Indian Express. 6 October 2017. Archived from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  29. ↑ Sportstar, Team (24 September 2022). "Highlights India 1-1 Singapore: Ashique, Ikhsan goals keep scores level at FT; Both teams with a point". sportstar.thehindu.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  30. ↑ "Jhingan and more last-minute addition to Asian Games team". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  31. ↑ "Football - China vs India - Group Round - Group A Results". info.hangzhou2022.cn. Archived from the original on 20 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  32. ↑ "Rahul KP signs as first-ever South Indian brand ambassador of MyFitness". Khel Now. 28 May 2021. Archived from the original on 28 May 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  33. ↑ Raghunathan, Abhijit (30 September 2020). "ISL 2020/21: Winger Rahul KP signs contract extension with Kerala Blasters FC". www.sportskeeda.com. Archived from the original on 15 January 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  34. ↑ Rahul K. P. at Soccerway
  35. ↑ Rahul K. P. at National-Football-Teams.com
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