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.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia | ||
| Date of birth | 15 September 2000 | ||
| 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 | ||
| 2023 | → Delhi (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
editYouth career
editRinzuala 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
edit2023–24 season
editOn 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
editRinzuala 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
editClub
edit- 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
editDelhi FC
Individual
- Most goals scored by an Indian in a I-League season – 15 goals
References
edit- ^ "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.
- ^ "Welcome Lalrinzuala to The People's Club". @aizawlfc. 13 June 2023.
- ^ "Mohammedan 2-1 Aizawl". soccerway. 29 October 2023. Archived from the original on 31 March 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "NEROCA 1-3 Aizawl". soccerway. 14 November 2023. Archived from the original on 17 November 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Aizawl 4-0 Churchill Brothers". soccerway. 28 March 2024. Archived from the original on 30 March 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia at Soccerway
External links
edit- Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia at Soccerway
- Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia profile at AIFF