Mohammed Aimen (Malayalam: മൊഹമ്മദ് ഐമൻ; born 20 January 2003) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a winger for the Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters. Aimen is the twin brother of Mohammed Azhar.[1]
 Aimen in 2024 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 20 January 2003 | ||
| Place of birth | Lakshadweep, India | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Winger, forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Kerala Blasters | ||
| Number | 19 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Don Bosco FA | |||
| 2018–2022 | Kerala Blasters | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2021–2022 | Kerala Blasters B | 11 | (2) |
| 2022– | Kerala Blasters | 25 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2024– | India U23 | 2 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 13:30, 3 October 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19:00, 12 April 2024 (UTC) | |||
Club career
editKerala Blasters
editYouth and early career
editAimen, along with his twin brother Azhar joined the Kerala Blasters Academy in 2018 at the age of fifteen, after a short spell in the Don Bosco football academy. The twins had moved to Kerala from Lakshadweep for their schooling and attended the Kerala Blasters U-15 trials, getting selected in the process. Aimen then rose through the ranks along with his brother and played for the under-15 and under-18 teams of the Blasters.[2] Aimen eventually made it to Kerala Blasters reserves and played for them in the 2022 RFDL. He played 7 games in the tournament, which was held from 2022 April to May, where the team emerged as the runners-up and qualified for the Next Gen Cup. Aimen then played for the side in the Next Gen Cup held in United Kingdom in July 2022.[3]
2022–2023: Rise to the first team
editIn August 2022, with the first team preparing for the 2022–23 Indian Super League season in UAE, Kerala Blasters fielded their reserves for the 2022 Durand Cup, where Aimen was included in the squad.[4] He scored three goals, including a brace against NorthEast United and registered one assist, from five appearances during the tournament.[5] Aimen was then promoted to the club's senior team ahead of the 2022–23 season along with Azhar, to train with them on a developmental role for the 2022–23 Indian Super League season. During the season, he played for the reserve team in the 2022–23 Kerala Premier League and the 2023 RFDL. In November 2022, Aimen and Azhar were sent to Poland for a three week training stint with the Polish top tier club Rakow Czestochowa.[6]
In April 2023, Aimen was included in the Kerala Blasters squad for the 2023 Super Cup.[7] He finally made his official first team debut for Kerala Blasters on 16 April 2023 in the group stage match against Bengaluru FC, by coming as a substitute in the 77th minute for Rahul K.P, where the match ended in a draw.[8]
2023–present: Contract extension and league debut
editOn 9 May 2023, Kerala Blasters announced that Aimen has signed a three-year contract extension with the club, that would keep him with them until 2026.[9] Aimen was included in the Blasters' starting eleven for the first time against on 13 August 2023 in the first game of 2023 Durand Cup against Gokulam Kerala, which the Blasters lost 3–4, where he played for the entire 90 minutes.[10] In the match, he provided an assist for Prabir Das' goal.[11] Aimen scored his first official goal for Kerala Blasters senior team on 18 August against Bengaluru reserves, after coming as a substitute in the 67th minute.[12] On 21 August, he scored his second goal of the tournament against Indian Air Force, which was also his fifth goal in Durand cup overall.[13]
Aimen made his Indian Super League debut for the club on 21 September in the season opener at home, against Bengaluru FC, which the Blasters won 2–1. He also became the first player from Lakshadweep to play in the Indian Super League.[14] On 14 December, Aimen produced a player-of-the-match display against Punjab FC. He earned a penalty in the 51st minute, which Diamantakos successfully converted into a goal, and helped the Blasters in a 1–0 win.[15]
After assisting in the Blasters' first competitive match of the 2024–25 season against Mumbai City FC in the 2024 Durand Cup, Aimen came in as a substitute against Punjab FC on 4 August in the same tournament and scored the equalizer for the Blasters to seal them a 1–1 draw.[16] He would score his second of the tournament in the next match against CISF Protectors, which they won 7–0.[17]
International career
editYouth career
editIn March 2024, Aimen was included in the final 23-member squad of the Indian national under-23 team to play two friendlies against Malaysia.[18] He made his debut for the side on 22 March in a 1–2 loss, where he played for 87 minutes.[19]
Personal life
editAimen's twin brother Mohammed Azhar is also a professional footballer; both twins joined Kerala Blasters academy at the same time in 2018. Born in Lakshadweep, the twins later grew up in Kochi, Kerala, as their father worked at the Lakshadweep Communication in Kochi.[20]
Career statistics
editClub
edit- As of matches played 10 August 2024[21]
| Club | Season | League | Cup[a] | Continental | Other[b] | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Kerala Blasters B | 2021–22 | RF Development League | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | 7 | 0 | |||
| 2022–23 | RF Development League | 4 | 2 | — | — | 5 | 3 | 16 | 5 | |||
| Kerala Blasters B total | 11 | 2 | — | — | 5 | 3 | 23 | 5 | ||||
| Kerala Blasters | 2022–23 | Indian Super League | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Indian Super League | 21 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | 3 | 2 | 27 | 4 | ||
| 2024–25 | Indian Super League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||
| Kerala Blasters total | 21 | 1 | 4 | 1 | — | 6 | 4 | 31 | 6 | |||
| Career total | 23 | 3 | 1 | 1 | — | 11 | 7 | 47 | 11 | |||
- ^ Includes Super Cup
- ^ includes Durand Cup
References
edit- ^ "Kerala Blasters academy graduates Aimen & Azhar to join Polish club Rakow Czestochowa for training". Khel Now. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ Santhosh, Aswathy (19 November 2022). "Kerala Blasters twins set to fly to Poland for three-week training". thebridge.in. Archived from the original on 18 November 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ "Kerala Blasters announce squad for Next Gen Cup 2022". Khel Now. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ "Kerala Blasters announces 21-man squad for Durand Cup". sportstar.thehindu.com. 17 August 2022. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ "Aimen's brace blasts Kerala past NorthEast United". The Hindu. 27 August 2022. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ "കേരള ബ്ലാസ്റ്റേഴ്സിന് ആവേശം സമ്മാനിക്കുന്ന വാർത്ത, രണ്ട് താരങ്ങൾ പരിശീലനത്തിനായി പോളണ്ടിലേക്ക്". Samayam Malayalam (in Malayalam). Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ "Super Cup 2023: Kerala Blasters announces 29-men squad". sportstar.thehindu.com. 3 April 2023. Archived from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ "Bengaluru FC 1-1 Kerala Blasters Highlights: Diamantakos, Roy Krishna score, BFC through to Super Cup 2023 semis". Sportstar. 16 April 2023. Archived from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ "ISL: Kerala Blasters extend contracts of youngsters Azhar, Aiman and Saheef". Khel Now. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ "Twin brothers Aimen, Azhar among 5 locals in Kerala Blasters XI vs Gokulam". thebridge.in. 13 August 2023. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ Guha, Sayantan (13 August 2023). "Kerala Blasters FC vs Gokulam Kerala FC: Player ratings for the Yellow Army as they fall prey to their arch-rivals in Durand Cup 2023". www.sportskeeda.com. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ Chatterjee, Triyasha (18 August 2023). "Bengaluru FC 2-2 Kerala Blasters: Aimen rescues Blasters with late goal vs Blues". Inside Sport India. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ "Durand Cup 2023: Bidyashagar hat-trick powers Kerala Blasters to 5-0 win over Indian Air Force FT". Sportstar. 21 August 2023. Archived from the original on 25 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ "Kerala Blasters beat Bengaluru FC 2-1 in ISL opener". The Week. Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ Scroll Staff (15 December 2023). "Watch, highlights ISL 2023-24: Kerala Blasters beat Punjab FC to secure second away win of season". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 27 December 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
- ^ Sharma, Amitabha Das (4 August 2024). "Durand Cup: Kerala Blasters recover by drawing with Punjab FC". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ Sharma, Amitabha Das (10 August 2024). "Durand Cup 2024: Kerala Blasters overwhelms CISF to brighten its quarterfinal chances". Sportstar. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ^ "India U23s to play two friendlies against Malaysia". www.the-aiff.com. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ^ Sportstar, Team (22 March 2024). "Indian football: Shivaldo's goal goes in vain as India U23 loses 1-2 to Malaysia U23 in friendly". Sportstar. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
- ^ "Santosh Trophy: A bunch of fighters from Lakshadweep". sportstar.thehindu.com. 30 November 2021. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ Mohammed Aimen at Soccerway
External links
edit- Mohammed Aimen at Soccerway
- Mohammed Aimen at Indian Super League