Ishan Pandita

Ishan Pandita (born 26 May 1998) is an Indian professional footballer[1] who plays as a Striker for the Indian Super League side FC Goa.

Ishan Pandita
Pandita in action with Lorca in the Spanish Terćera division
Personal information
Date of birth (1998-05-26) 26 May 1998
Place of birth New Delhi, India
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Striker
Club information
Current team
 Goa
Number 26
Youth career
Almería
Leganés
Gimnàstic
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2019 Pobla Mafumet 1 (0)
2019–2020 Lorca 25 (6)
2020– Goa 4 (2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 12:16, 1 December 2020 (UTC)

Career

Early career

Pandita arrived in Spain in 2014 at the age of 16 and joined Alcobendas Juvenil.[2] In 2015, he joined the Under-18 team of La Liga club Almería but he didn't sign a professional contract as he hadn't turned 18 that time.[3] In the 2016, he joined the U-19 team of Leganés.[4] He was the first ever Indian footballer to play for a Juvenil side of a Spain's top division club.[5][6] After a spell at Leganes, he signed a short-term contract with the U-23 team of Gimnàstic on 5 January 2019.

Lorca

In August 2019 he signed a one-year deal with Tercera Division Club Lorca. He played 26 matches and scored 6 goals and was the top scorer for Lorca in the 2019-20 season.[1]

Goa

Initially he and his family wanted to stay in Spain, but due to the COVID-19 situation it was difficult to find a club for him.[7] In early 2020, rumours spread about Pandita's return to India and it was speculated that he might sign for Goa.[8][9] In October 2020, the club revealed that it had secured Pandita in their squad.[10][11] He made his debut for FC Goa on 30 November 2020 against NorthEast United at 89th minute of that match as a substitute.[12][13] He scored his debut goal for FC Goa against Hyderabad on 30th December 2020. He came as a substitute on 86th minute and scored with his first touch on the 87th minute as FC Goa equalised the game.[14]

Personal life

Though he was born in New Delhi, Pandita is of Kashmiri descent as his family hails from Kashmir.[15] In 2001, his family moved to Philippines, he started his studies and learnt basics of football there until 2009.[16] Then they returned to India in Bengaluru.[17] In 2014 Pandita moved to Spain for better training of his football talent and skills.[18] After spending a term of 6 years in various lower division Spanish clubs he returned to India and signed for Goa.[19][8]

Career Statistics
As of match played 20 January 2021
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Lorca[20] 2019-20 Tercera Division 2560000––00256
Goa[21] 2020–21 Indian Super League 32––0000––32
Career total 28800000000288

References
  1. "Ishan Pandita creates history; becomes first Indian footballer to sign La Liga contract". Firstpost. 5 October 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  2. "18-Year-Old Bengaluru Boy Becomes First Indian to Sign a Contract with Spanish Football League". The Better India. 2016-10-06. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  3. Oct 5, Maxin Mathew / TNN /; 2016; Ist, 11:43. "Ishan Pandita: Ishan becomes first Indian to sign for Spanish La Liga club | Football News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2020-10-04.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. "Five things you must know about new FC Goa signing Ishan Pandita". Khelnow. 13 October 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  5. "ISL: Who is Ishan Pandita, FC Goa's exciting new recruit?". The Week. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  6. "FC Goa Players | Squad List & Player Bios". fcgoa.in. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  7. "FC Goa's Ishan Pandita: I'm ready to compete with anyone | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 2020-10-08.
  8. Sep 29, Marcus Mergulhao / TNN /; 2020; Ist, 00:11. "Another 'Spanish' addition for FC Goa as Ishan Pandita completes move | Goa News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2020-10-04.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. Oct 3, PTI / Updated; 2020; Ist, 17:51. "ISL: FC Goa sign forward Ishan Pandita for 2020-21 season | Football News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2020-10-04.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. "FC Goa secures Ishan Pandita signing". fcgoa.in. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
  11. "FC Goa secures Ishan Pandita signing". Indian Super League. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
  12. "New kid Ishan Pandita ready to show Goa, ISL what the fuss is all about". ESPN. 2020-10-08. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  13. "Goa vs. NorthEast United - 30 November 2020 - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
  14. "ISL 2020-21 HIGHLIGHTS, Hyderabad FC vs FC Goa: Late Angulo, Pandita Goals Hand Goa 2-1 win Against Hyderabad". News18. Retrieved 2021-01-02.
  15. "FC Goa signs forward Ishan Pandita". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
  16. "From Kashmir to Madrid: The Story of Ishan Pandita". Kashmir Life. 2018-01-14. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
  17. "Delhi-born, Manila-bred, Madrid trained: Ishan Pandita tipped to be the future of Indian football". The Indian Express. 2020-10-11. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  18. "ISL: FC Goa Announce Signing of 22-year-old Forward Ishan Pandita". News18. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
  19. Oct 3, PTI / Updated; 2020; Ist, 17:51. "ISL: FC Goa sign forward Ishan Pandita for 2020-21 season | Football News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2020-10-04.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  20. "India - I. Pandita - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  21. "Ishan Pandita profile - Age, Goals, Avg. passes and more". Indian Super League. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
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