Name of the sportsperson: Rakesh Masih

Discipline: Football

Date of birth: 18-07-1987

State:  Punjab

Achievements and Awards:

•    Won the Federation Cup, 2008.

•    AFC Cup.

•    FPAI Award, 2009.

Profile:

Rakesh Masih was born on 18th march 1987, is an Indian international football player. He is currently playing for Mohun Bagan in the I-League in India as a Defender. Before that, he played club football in Punjab. Masih made his international debut against Hong Kong National Football Team .He is an important player for the Mariners.

Masih spent four years at the Tata Football Academy and was regarded as one of the best cadets of his batch. While at the TFA, Masih earned a call up to the India Under-23 side in 2007 and played in the 2008 Olympic qualifiers. In 2008 he signed for the Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan and had a wonderful season.

The Punjab born lad can play both in central defense and central midfield because of his strong built and good heading ability. Then-Mohun Bagan coach Karim Bencherifa used him in central midfield alongside the experienced Marcos Pereira and the two formed one of the best central midfield partnerships in the 2008-09 I-League campaign. Masih was instrumental in Bagan’s record breaking ten match winning run in the league and the Federation Cup triumph that season.

In January 2009, Masih made his international debut in the 2-1 defeat against Hong Kong and since then he has been a regular member of the Indian squad. Masih’s fine performances in the 08-09 season won him nominations for the’ Best young player’ and ‘Best player of the year’ categories in the inaugural edition of the FPAI Awards in 2009.

Last season, he was troubled with a number of injuries and thus couldn’t feature regularly for Mohun Bagan in the I-League. He returned in the second half of the season but never regained his best form and thus the Mariners struggled. However the club officials have kept faith in him and retained him for another season. He may not be a first team starter in Doha but his versatility will make him a valuable asset to the Indian squad.