Michael Soosairaj
Personal information
Date of birth (1994-12-25) 25 December 1994 (age 29)
Place of birth Eraviputhenthurai, Tamil Nadu
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Winger / Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Odisha
Number 23
Youth career
2011–2016 Arrows Football Club
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2018 Chennai City 29 (5)
2018–2019 Jamshedpur 14 (4)
2019–2020 ATK 20 (3)
2020–2022 ATK Mohun Bagan 6 (0)
2022– Odisha 1 (0)
International career
2019 India 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:48, 3 March 2022 (UTC)

Michael Soosairaj (born 25 December 1994) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Indian Super League club Odisha.

Career

Early career and Chennai City

Born in Eraviputhenthurai, Tamil Nadu, Soosairaj first moved to Chennai when he attended Madras Christian College.[1] At the age of 10, he started training with his local football club/academy St. Catherine, one of the oldest football clubs in the state. He represented the college in Inter-University tournaments before joining Arrows Football Club of the CFA Senior Division.[1] After spending time with Arrows, Soosairaj joined another CFA Senior Division side, Chennai City.[1] He also played for Tamil Nadu in the Santosh Trophy.[2]

In December 2016, Chennai City FC were announced as a direct-entry side into the I-League, India's top-tier football league.[3][4][5] He made his professional debut for the club on 4 December 2017 in Chennai City's second match of the 2017–18 season against Gokulam Kerala. Pandiyan started and played the whole match as Chennai City drew 1–1.[6] On 17 January 2017, Soosairaj made his professional debut in the I-League for Chennai City against DSK Shivajians. He came on as a 61st-minute substitute for Malsawmfela despite Chennai City losing 2–0.[7]

On 8 April 2018, Soosairaj scored his first professional goal in the league against Minerva Punjab. His 41st-minute goal was the first in a 2–0 victory.[8] He then scored his second goal of the season a few weeks later on 22 April against Churchill Brothers. This time, Soosairaj scored Chennai City's only goal in the 54th minute as they lost 5–1.[9] The next season, Soosairaj scored his first brace, scoring twice against Churchill Brothers on 17 February 2018. His two goals contributed to a 3–1 victory for Chennai City.[10] He then scored his third goal of the season a couple weeks later on 2 March against Minerva Punjab. His 5th-minute goal was the first in a 2–1 victory for Chennai City.[11]

After the 2017–18 season, Soosairaj was named the league's best midfielder by the All India Football Federation.[12]

Jamshedpur

On 9 March 2018, it was announced that Soosairaj had signed for Jamshedpur of the Indian Super League.[13] He scored 4 goals in 14 matches during the 2018–19 season. He was brilliant throughout the season playing as a left or right winger . He earned a lot of admiration for his performance. He was one of the standout Indian players of the season, and his performances led to him gaining his first international call-up.

ATK

Before the start of the 2019–20 season, Indian Super League side ATK activated the release clause of Michael Soosairaj as ₹90 lakh (equivalent to ₹1.1 crore or €140,000 in 2023)[14] Soosairaj scored against Mumbai City FC this season, assisting ATK in a 2–0 win.[15]

ATK Mohun Bagan

After the merger of ATK and Mohun Bagan, Soosairaj joined ATK Mohun Bagan, and was included in twenty-two men squad by manager Antonio Lopez Habas for the team's 2021 AFC Cup inter-zonal semifinal match against Uzbek side Nasaf.[16]

Odisha

On 28 May 2022, the Juggernauts secured the signature of Soosairaj, on a two-year deal.[17][18]

Personal life

His elder brother Michael Regin is also a professional footballer.[19]

Career statistics

Club

As of 10 September 2022[20]
Club Season League Cup AFC Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Chennai City 2016–17 I-League 11 2 2[a] 0 — 13 2
2017–18 18 3 1[a] 0 — 19 3
Chennai City total 29 5 3 0 0 0 32 5
Jamshedpur 2018–19 Indian Super League 14 4 0 0 — 14 4
ATK 2019–20 20 3 0 0 — 20 3
ATK Mohun Bagan 2020–21 1 0 0 0 — 1 0
2021–22 5 0 0 0 1[b] 0 6 0
ATK Mohun Bagan total 6 0 0 0 1 0 7 0
Odisha 2022–23 Indian Super League 0 0 3[c] 0 — 3 0
Career total 69 12 6 0 1 0 76 12
  1. ^ a b Appearance(s) in Super Cup
  2. ^ Appearance(s) in AFC Cup
  3. ^ Appearance(s) in Durand Cup

International

As of matches played till 5 June 2019[21]
National team Year Apps Goals
India 2019 1 0
Total 1 0

Honours

India

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b c Prasad, Vishnu (21 March 2018). "Michael learns to rock". New Indian Express. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  2. ^ "TN squad for Santosh Trophy named". The Hindu. 25 February 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  3. ^ "Chennai City FC, Minerva Punjab FC Get Direct Entry Into I-League". News18. 11 December 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  4. ^ "Chennai City FC signs three players for ISL 2017-'18". Business Standard. 24 July 2017. Archived from the original on 8 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  5. ^ Sudharshan, M (3 March 2023). "Chennai City FC owners transfer sporting license". khelnow.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  6. ^ "Gokulam Kerala 1-1 Chennai City". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 19 June 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  7. ^ "Shivajians 2-0 Chennai City". Soccerway.
  8. ^ "Minerva Punjab 0-2 Chennai City". Soccerway.
  9. ^ "Churchill Brothers 5-1 Chennai City". Soccerway.
  10. ^ "Chennai City 3-1 Churchill Brothers". Soccerway.
  11. ^ "Chennai City 2-1 Minerva Punjab". Soccerway.
  12. ^ "Minerva Punjab presented with winners' trophy; NEROCA's Gift Raikhan named season's best coach". FirstPost. 22 March 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  13. ^ "Michael Soosairaj signs for Jamshedpur". Jamshedpur FC (Twitter).
  14. ^ "ATK activates Rs. 90 Lakh release clause for Jamshedpur FC's Michael Soosairaj". Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  15. ^ Marar, Nandakumar. "ISL: Michael Soosairaj shines again". Sportstar.
  16. ^ Kauko included in ATK Mohun Bagan squad The Hindu. Retrieved 18 September 2021
  17. ^ "Juggernauts secure Soosai Raj's signature". odishafc.com. 28 May 2022.
  18. ^ "Odisha FC set to sign Michael Soosairaj on two-year deal". khelnow.com. 28 May 2022.
  19. ^ "Football blossoms in the land of Michael Soosairaj". sportstar.thehindu.com. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  20. ^ Michael Soosairaj at Soccerway
  21. ^ "Michael Soosairaj". national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  22. ^ "I-League 2017–18: Minerva Punjab presented with winners' trophy; NEROCA's Gift Raikhan named season's best coach". firstpost.com. Chandigarh: The FirstPost News. Press Trust of India. 22 March 2018. Archived from the original on 23 March 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
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