Chhetri Claims Top Scorer Accolade For Seventh Straight Season; Suresh Named Fans’ Player As Nishu Wins Goal Of The Season

Bengaluru: Keeping up with tradition, Bengaluru Football Club came together to celebrate and look back at their 2019-20 season, while rewarding top performers at the club’s Annual Awards Night, held at The Chancery Pavilion, in Bengaluru, on Tuesday.

The Blues who made it to their third straight play-offs this season in the Indian Super League, became the first team after inaugural champions ATK in 2015, to reach the play-offs as defending champions.

Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was named the Players’ Player of the Season, presented by Seagram’s Imperial Blue Music CDs, after a stellar season under the bar where he kept a record 11 clean sheets. After claiming an unassailable lead at the top of the charts, the goalkeeper will also finish as the Golden Glove holder of the League. Defender Nishu Kumar’s belter from Dimas Delgado’s set-piece against Hyderabad FC at the Fortress was voted the Goal of the Season.

With 11 goals across two competitions, skipper Sunil Chhetri claimed the top scorer award for a record seventh season in a row, while youngster Suresh Singh Wangjam’s impressive performances throughout the season got him the Kingfisher Fans’ Player of the Season, in a poll conducted online.

Academy graduate and winger Leon Augustine who was also impressive in the later stages of the ISL and the AFC Cup was named the BFC B Player of the Season, while midfielder Emanuel Lachhanchuaha picked up the U18 Player of the Season. Winger Vinith Venkatesh was named U15 Player of the Season while defender Oinam Ronex Meitei bagged the award in the U13 category.

For the first time ever, the Blues rewarded their youngsters in the grassroots category who were impressive in the Double Pass Development League where the U11’s claimed a title while the U7’s and the U9’s were semi-finalists. Jordan Mobin Paul (U7), Aranyak Maitra (U9) and Rayuel Beale (U11) picked up the awards in their respective categories.

The night was graced by Karnataka State Football Association President and Shantinagar MLA Mr. N. A. Haris along with Mr. Satya Narayan, the General Secretary from KSFA. MEG’s Lt. Col. Murugundy, Mr. K Srinivas, IAS, Commissioner, DYES and Mr. K Govindraj, MLC and President of the Karnataka Olympic Association, were also present.

Awards

Top Scorer: Sunil Chhetri, 11 goals

Players’ Player of the Season: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu

Kingfisher Fans’ Player of the Season: Suresh Singh Wangjam

Goal of the Season: Nishu Kumar (Scored against Hyderabad FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, in the Indian Super League)

BFC B Player of the Season: Leon Augustine (Winger)

U18 Player of the Season: Emanuel Lalchhanchuaha (Midfielder)

U15 Player of the Season: Vinith Venkatesh (Midfielder)

U13 Player of the Season: Oinam Ronex Meitei (Defender)

U11 Player of the Season: Rayuel Beale

U9 Player of the Season: Aranyak Maitra

U7 Player of the Season: Jordan Mobin Paul