I-League: Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia breaks Sunil Chhetri's record; scores most goals in single edition

Lalrinzuala scored a brace for Aizawl FC in an exciting I-league encounter against Churchill.

Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia has written his name in the history books by breaking the record for scoring the most goals by an Indian footballer in a single season of the I-League. The record was previously jointly held by iconic Indian players Sunil Chhetri and Mohammed Rafi. The 23-year-old has now scored 15 goals in addition to three assists in 18 appearances in the I-League for Aizawl FC.

Before Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia’s goalscoring record, Sunil Chhetri and Mohammed Rafi had scored 14 goals in 23 appearances in the I-League. The second tier of the Indian football league system is highly competitive and being consistently fabulous in it is evidence of the height of Lalbiaknia’s talent. Lalbiaknia is an upcoming superstar in Indian football breaking legend Chhetri’s record.

A star in the making

Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia came through the developmental squads of Bengaluru FC and Gokulam Kerala. He also played for Delhi FC before joining Aizawl FC from Chhinga Veng FC. The centre-forward is adept at scoring goals. He excels in the No.9 role, a position that will come under extreme focus after Sunil Chhetri’s impending retirement from international football. 

Thanks to Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia’s goalscoring feats, Aizawl FC stands in ninth place in an otherwise disappointing campaign. With 15 goals, the forward is currently second in the race for the Golden Boot, trailing Alejandro Lopez of Gokulam Kerala FC who has 16 goals. 

An intense race for Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia’s signature will certainly take place during the summer transfer window. Several Indian Super League clubs are reportedly interested in his signature and bolstering their forward department with an Indian goalscorer. It will be interesting to see how far the 23-year-old stretches his record of becoming the highest Indian goalscorer in a single I-League season before the campaign’s conclusion. 

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