Indian goalkeeper Som Kumar makes debut for Slovenian club Radomlje against Croatian giants Hajduk Split in friendly clash

The 20-year-old young custodian has previously featured for Kerala Blasters FC

The young Indian goalkeeping sensation from Bengaluru, Som Kumar, who began his footballing journey at the tender age of 13, has recently stolen the limelight after making his debut for the Slovenian top-tier franchise, NK Radomlje.

The match was played against one of the most successful sides in Croatian footballing history, HNK Hajduk Split, at the Sportni Park Stadium in Radomlje, Slovenia. Head coach Jugoslav Trenchovski handed the first-ever start to young Som Komar for the Slovenian PrvaLiga side.

In his debut game, he also managed to keep a clean sheet in the first half before being subbed off in the club-friendly encounter. The match ended with the Slovenian side succumbing to a slender defeat against the Croatian giants after conceding a goal, minutes after Som was subbed off to make way for Jakob Kobal.

Who is this young Indian goalkeeping prodigy, Som Kumar?

Som Kumar, the 20-year-old Indian custodian from Bengaluru, rose through the ranks of the Bengaluru FC youth academy before joining NK Bravo in Slovenia. He accumulated rich experience playing in the Slovenian football circuit after his stints with NK Krka and Olimpija Ljubljana during his youth days.

He made a return to the Indian top flight and was signed by Kerala Blasters FC in June 2024 under coach Mikael Stahre. He secured back-to-back three clean sheets for the Manjapadda in their Durand Cup campaign against Mumbai City FC, Punjab FC and the Central Industrial Security Force.

After sustaining an injury, his playing time was significantly reduced, and he was relegated to merely a second-choice keeper to Sachin Suresh. He made his ISL debut against Mohammedan SC. After a short stint in India, he switched his allegiance to Radomlje, which competes in the Slovenian top tier.

Can Som Kumar replicate Gurpreet Singh Sandhu’s success in Europe?

In 2016, former Indian captain Gurpreet Singh Sandhu became the first and the only Indian player to feature in the UEFA Europa League during his stint with Norwegian outfit Stabaek FC. He was the fifth Indian to play professionally in Europe.

Previously, the Spiderman of Indian football, Subrata Paul, who also won the ISL Golden Glove award with Jamshedpur FC in their inaugural season in the top tier, has also played for a Danish outfit, Vikingerne, back in 2014 as a loanee.

Young Som Kumar has achieved the distinction of playing for a top European club at a very young age, and this is just the beginning, as the young 20-year-old goalkeeping sensation from Bengaluru could be the next big thing in Indian football.

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