| Full Name | Kumam Udanta Singh |
| Date of Birth | June 14, 1996 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in |
| Current Team(s) | |
| Role | Winger |
| Past Team(s) |
Kumam Udanta Singh is an Indian footballer who plays as a winger in the Indian national side and for Bengaluru FC.
He was born on 14th June 1996 in Moirang in Manipur.
Football dominates Singh’s family, as his uncle, Samson Singh, played football for top division sides.
For his quick turns, sheer speed and smooth footwork, Udanta is hailed as one of the future stars in Indian football.
Background
In his childhood, Singh started playing on the streets of his town before joining the development programme of All-India Manipur Football Association (AMFA).
On his uncle’s advice, he opted for a trial at the Tata Football Academy (TFA) at 14 and got selected.
He attended All Asia Nike Camp in Australia in January 2013 and was selected All-Star team.
Udanta netted four goals in an exposure trip to China, including a hat-trick against China U-16 team in August 2013.
Two months later, Singh played well in the AFC U-19 Championship qualification round, although India failed to proceed to the next round. He helped TFA to lift the 2013-14 U-19 I-League finishing as the highest scorer with nine strikes.
His fluent performance rallied Bengaluru FC to sign the youngster in July 2014. Three months later, his maiden appearance came in a Durand Cup match against Mohammedan Sporting.
Debut
Singh played the entire match in his maiden international cap against Iran in the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign in Tehran in March 2016. However, he succumbed to pressure in the debut match.
Rise to Glory
Udanta’s addition of calmness, inch-perfect and powerful crosses to his arsenal helped him to hone his play-making abilities in 2016-17.
He scored three goals in 17 I-League matches and supplied the balls to the Bengaluru forwards incessantly. He won the Players’ Player of the Year award and was the FPAI Young Player of the Year for his phenomenal season.
Low Points
In spite of putting up impressive performances for India, he could not reap his junior level success in the senior level as much as he would have wanted. India’s lack of matches also did not help his cause as the versatile winger played only eight matches.
Records
In April 2015, he provided an assist to Sunil Chettri against Maziya S&RC in AFC Cup to become youngest Indian to achieve this feat. A month later, he became the youngest Indian to score a goal in AFC Cup, netting a consolation goal against Persipura Jayapura.
Club Career
Udanta won the 2015-16 I-league and the Federation Cup twice in 2015 and 2017. In 2017, BFC joined ISL and retained Udanta along with the skipper Sunil Chettri. Earlier, he played one match for Mumbai City FC on loan in the 2016 ISL. In 2015, he trained with the English League Two side Oxford United, playing a game against Benfica ‘B’.
