Anirudh Thapa, an India midfielder, has extended his contract with Chennaiyin FC. The Marina Machans and the creative ace have reached an agreement on a new two-year contract. He’ll be with the club until the end of the 2023-24 season under the terms of the agreement. His current contract was slated to expire at the end of the current election cycle.
Anirudh’s Background
The 24-year-old has been a member of the club since 2016. In the Indian Super League, he has appeared in 86 games for Chennaiyin FC. As previously stated, Thapa has shown a desire to remain loyal to his club. The midfielder was linked with a move away from Chennaiyin towards the end of the season. That, however, has now been laid to rest.
Anirudh’s loyalty might be viewed as a form of gratitude for what the club has done for him. The team supported him through various difficult times in his career, owing to injuries he sustained during certain seasons.
For the Chennaiyin captain, who hasn’t been in the best of form, this season hasn’t been one to brag about. The club, on the other hand, had no reservations in keeping the two-time AIFF Player of the Year.
His Career with Chennaiyin
Thapa and four other players were signed to a long-term contract by ISL team Chennaiyin on July 1, 2016. For the 2016 Indian Super League season, Thapa was named to the squad as a developmental player. In November 2016, Thapa was called up to the Chennaiyin squad as a replacement for Dhanachandra Singh, who was out for the rest of the ISL season due to injury.
In his team’s season-ending encounter versus Goa. He began the game and played 67 minutes in the 5-4 defeat. He came close to scoring his first goal, but it was chalked off as his own goal.
After a loan spell with Minerva Punjab, Thapa returned to Chennaiyin on May 31, 2017. Thapa was named the club’s captain for the 2021-22 Indian Super League season. Thapa scored the game-winning goal against Northeast United on November 29, 2021, as his team won 2-1.
Anirudh’s International Career
Thapa made his debut for India at the U14 level. He was a member of the U16 team that won the 2013 SAFF U16 Championship and competed in the AFC U16 Championship qualifications. Thapa then went on to compete in the SAFF U19 Championship for the U19 team.
Thapa scored his first international goal in a 4–1 triumph over Thailand in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup on January 6, 2019. In the 2019 King’s Cup, which India won 1–0, he scored his second goal against the same opponent. Thapa has appeared in 24 international matches for Nepal, scoring two goals in the process.
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