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Personal Information
| Full Name | Muhammad Ashique Kuruniyan |
| Date of Birth | June 14, 1997 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) |
| Role | Forward |
| Past Team(s) |
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Ashique Kuruniyan: A Brief Biography
Muhammed Ashique Kuruniyan is an Indian professional footballer. Born on the 14th of June, 1997, Kuruniyan hails from Malappuram in Kerala. The 21-year old plays as a left-wing forward and is currently with the FC Pune city team in the Indian Super League.
Background
Kuruniyan had four brothers and was a part of the family that was not strong financially. He had to drop out of school to support his father. He used to play football in the little time that was left after finishing the work. Football was not the first priority for the young man.
But he soon developed his love for playing football and was soon selected by Vision India, a brainchild of Kerala Football Association that is inclined towards spotting talent at a young age and nurturing them. He remained with the academy till 2014 before moving to the academy in Pune. He was a part of the Pune academy from 2014-16 and then moved to FC Pune City academy when it was sold in 2016.
Debut
The youngster hasn’t represented the senior Indian team as yet but he certainly has all the ingredients that can take him to the highest level.
Rise to Glory
On the 25th of October, 2016, Kuruniyan made headlines when he was selected to join Spanish Club Villareal C on loan for a period of one year. This provided him with a great chance to work on his game and return stronger and sharper.
Kuruniyan performed exceedingly well for the Pune FC U19 team in the 2014-15 season of I-league. His contribution was paramount as the team ended the season as runners-up.
His rapid improvement earned him a debut in ISL on the 10th of December, 2017 against Jamshedpur FC. He scored his first goal against Northeast United on the 30th of December, 2016.
Low Points
Kuruniyan’s joy of joining Villareal C was short lived as he suffered a muscle tear in the middle third of his hamstrings. This forced him out of football for 4-6 weeks. Eventually, he was sent back to India to continue his rehabilitation.
The youngster has a long way to go in his career. With age on his side, he can strive to achieve greater things by working extremely hard on his game.
