Sandesh Jhingan Biography
Sandesh Jhingan, an Indian professional footballer who plays center back for both the Indian national team and ISL side Goa, was born on July 21, of the year 1993. Sandesh Jhingan made his debut for the India national team in 2015 after winning the AIFF Emerging Player of the Year title in the year 2014. Jhingan received the Arjuna Award in the year 2020, which is India’s second-highest athletic honor. The 2020–21 AIFF Men’s Player of the Year Award went to Sandesh Jhingan as well.
Early Football Career 2011-14
Chandigarh-born footballer Jhingan played for the Chandigarh state team under-19 and attended trials at I-League 2nd Division side United Sikkim. He made his senior professional debut in the I-League in 2012, scoring the winning goal against Salgaocar. After the 2012-13 season, Jhingan signed a contract with IMG–Reliance for the Indian Super League in 2014. He later signed with Rangdajied United on loan but signed for Mumbai for the rest of the I-League campaign. He made his debut against the football team of Pune in the month of December of the year 2013.
Football Club Career
In 2014, Jhingan was selected in the ISL Inaugural Domestic Draft by Kerala Blasters. Despite starting in two matches, the Blasters lost 2–1. Jhingan appeared 14 times and earned the “Emerging Player of the League” award. In 2015, he signed with Sporting Goa on loan and was retained by the Blasters, earning over 10 million. However, his team conceded 27 goals and finished last, earning interest from abroad.
In 2016, Jhingan joined DSK Shivajians on loan from the Kerala Blasters. He made his debut against East Bengal and was retained in the Blasters’ draft for the 2016 season. In 2017, Bengaluru announced Jhingan on a season-long loan deal. He made his debut in a league match and scored his first goal in an AFC Cup match. Jhingan was part of Bengaluru FC’s 2016-17 Federation Cup squad.
Jhingan, a highly paid Indian defender, was retained by the Kerala Blasters for the 2017-18 season after signing a long-term contract. He was one of three Indian players retained by the club, paying ₹38 million. Jhingan was announced as the captain of the Blasters for the upcoming season and continued as captain in the following 2018–19 season. However, he was ruled out for the entire season due to an ACL injury.
On 21 May 2020, the Kerala Blasters parted ways with Jhingan on mutual consent. The Blasters permanently retired his jersey number 21 as a tribute to his contributions to the club. Jhingan signed with ATK Mohun Bagan on a 5-year deal in 2020, where he was chosen as one of the five captains.
In 2021, Jhingan signed with Croatian First Football League side Šibenik on a one-year deal with an option to extend for another year. He returned to ATK Mohun Bagan in 2022, playing in nine matches. However, he was eventually released after the expiry of his contract.
International Career
Sandesh Jhingan, a former India national football player, made his international debut in the 2014 Asian Games against the United Arab Emirates. He scored his first international goal in the same match against Turkmenistan in March 2016. Jhingan scored his third international goal in an international friendly against Cambodia in March 2017, and his fourth goal in another international friendly against Nepal in June 2017. He was handed the India national team captaincy by head coach Stephen Constantine in the absence of regular captain Sunil Chhetri.
Jhingan played a crucial role in the 2018 Intercontinental Cup, leading the Indian defense to three clean sheets out of four matches and winning the tournament by defeating Kenya in the final. In a friendly match against a stronger Chinese side, Jhingan was named as the captain, resulting in India’s first undefeated match on Chinese soil.
In the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, Jhingan performed at his full potential, leading India to a 4–1 victory against Thailand. However, an injury time penalty led to India’s elimination from the tournament.
Jhingan’s absence from the Indian team in 2019 was a significant setback, with the team at the bottom of the table. He made his comeback in a friendly against Oman in March 2021, where he also captained the side.
Personal Life
Jhingan won the Arjuna Award on August 21, 2020, making him the twenty-seventh footballer to do so. Sandesh Jhingan is a big fan of the Manchester United football team from the Premier League. Sandesh is married to Yakutian photographer Ivanka Pavlova.
Controversies
In the month of February of the year 2022, Sandesh Jhingan made a sexist comment after a football match with the football club ATK Mohun Bagan against his former football club Kerala Blasters. In an Instagram post, Jhingan said, “Aurato ke saath match khel aaya hoon, aurato ke saath.”
This sparked criticism from fans, who used the hashtag #BringBack21 to demand the club management reconsider retiring the number 21 jersey after Jhingan left. Jhingan later apologized and on April 21, the Blasters gave the jersey to Bijoy Varghese, who signed a three-year contract extension with the club.
Bio Data
Full name: Sandesh Jhingan
Date of birth: 21 July 1993 (age 30)
Place of birth: Chandigarh, India
Height: 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s): Centre-back
