Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia

Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia (born 15 September 2000), commonly known by the nickname Rinzuala, is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Aizawl in the I-League.

Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia
Personal information
Full name Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia
Date of birth (2000-09-15) 15 September 2000 (age 24)
Place of birth Serchhip, Mizoram, India
Height 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Striker
Team information
Current team
Aizawl
Number 18
Youth career
2017–2019 Bengaluru B
2017–2022 Gokulam Kerala B
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022–2023 Chhinga Veng
2023Delhi (loan) 2 (0)
2023– Aizawl 20 (15)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:36, 5 April 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of Pakistan

Club career

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Youth career

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Rinzuala played in the Subroto Cup, before being scouted by Bengaluru FC, which he represented at the U-16 and U-18 levels. He suffered an ACL injury in 2018, that kept him away of the game for 11 months.

Subsequently, he played three seasons for Gokulam Kerala reserves before returning home in 2022 to play for Chhinga Veng, that competed in the Mizoram Premier League. He recalled that it "was a decision that I felt I had to take" and that he "needed to come back home and start afresh".[1]

Aizawl

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2023–24 season

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On 13 June 2023, I-League club Aizawl secured the services of Rinzuala, on a two-year deal.[2] On 29 October, he made his debut for the club in the 2023–24 I-League campaign against Mohammedan SC, in a 2-1 away loss.[3][4] On 14 November, Rinzuala scored three goals in a 1–3 win over NEROCA, which was his first professional hat-trick.[5][6] On 28 March, Rinzuala netted twice in a 4–0 win over Churchill Brothers. In this process, he broke the record for most goals scored by an Indian footballer in a single season of the I-League, with 14 goals, overtaking Sunil Chhetri and Mohammed Rafi.[7][8]

Personal life

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Rinzuala was born in the streets of Serchhip, a town in his home state of Mizoram. His father, who was a driver, passed away in 2016, before his elder brother died in an accident the following year. His mother started a chicken farm after that, which sustained his family since.[9]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of 5 April 2024[10]
Club Season League National Cup League Cup AFC Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Delhi (loan) 2022–23 I-League 2nd Division 2 0 2 0
Aizawl 2023–24 I-League 20 15 20 15
Career total 22 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 22 15

Honours

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Delhi FC

Individual

  • Most goals scored by an Indian in a I-League season – 15 goals

References

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  1. ^ "Return to the Roots: Rinzuala determined to leave his mark on the I-League top scorers' charts". i-league.org. 3 April 2024. Archived from the original on 3 April 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  2. ^ "Welcome Lalrinzuala to The People's Club". @aizawlfc. 13 June 2023.
  3. ^ "Mohammedan 2-1 Aizawl". soccerway. 29 October 2023. Archived from the original on 31 March 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  4. ^ "MOHAMMEDAN SPORTING CLUB START THEIR I-LEAGUE CAMPAIGN WITH A 2-1 WIN OVER AIZAWL FC". parallelsports.com. 29 October 2023. Archived from the original on 31 March 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  5. ^ "NEROCA 1-3 Aizawl". soccerway. 14 November 2023. Archived from the original on 17 November 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  6. ^ "Lalrinzuala's second half hat-trick gives Aizawl the win against NEROCA". i-league.org. 14 November 2023. Archived from the original on 2 April 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  7. ^ "Aizawl 4-0 Churchill Brothers". soccerway. 28 March 2024. Archived from the original on 30 March 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  8. ^ "I-League: Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia breaks Sunil Chhetri's record; scores most goals in single edition". khelnow.com. 28 March 2024. Archived from the original on 29 March 2024. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  9. ^ "Return to the Roots: Rinzuala determined to leave his mark on the I-League top scorers' charts". i-league.org. 3 April 2024. Archived from the original on 3 April 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  10. ^ Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia at Soccerway
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