Only twice in the last 10 seasons have Indian names figured in the I-League top scorers\u2019 list \u2013 Sunil Chhetri\u2019s 14 goals in Bengaluru FC\u2019s title-winning season in 2013-14, and Bidyashagar Singh\u2019s 12 goals in TRAU FC\u2019s title challenge (they finished third) in 2020-21.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
However, the 2023-24 season of the I-League, has brought forth a fledgling forward, a 23-year-old, who has surpassed those that have come before him. Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia, fondly called Rinzuala by those around him, the Aizawl FC forward has already netted 15 goals from 19 appearances in his debut season.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Rinzuala has already surpassed the likes of Sunil Chhetri, Bhaichung Bhutia (14 goals in 1996-97), Jeje Lalpekhlua (12 goals in 2010-11) in terms of the number of goals scored in a season, but the 23-year-old is gunning for greater glories at the present. He is currently entwined in a race for the top scorers\u2019 award in the 2023-24 I-League season, having scored one less than Alejandro Sanchez Lopez of Gokulam. For the Aizawl lad, however, he\u2019s well past the mark he had set out to reach at the start of the season.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI never thought I\u2019d score so many goals when I joined Aizawl at the start of the season. My personal aim was to score maybe five or six for Aizawl. I did not even think that I would get to start so many matches,\u201d he laughed.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Like all forwards, Lalrinzuala also had a lean spell in the middle of the season, when a minor injury meant that he did not score for five games. However, the mid-season break gave him time to recover, and Rinzuala netted in every game in March.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Rinzuala had started his footballing journey in the streets of Serchhip, a small town in Mizoram, where he honed his core skills. He played in the Subroto Cup, before being scouted by the Bengaluru FC academy, which he represented at the U-16 and U-18 levels. However, just when it looked like the young forward could launch his career, tragedy struck \u2013 twice.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
His father, who was a driver, passed away in 2016, taking away the sole breadwinner from his family, before his elder brother died in an accident the following year.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Rinzuala\u2019s woes would not end just there, as he suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in 2018, an injury that took him 11 months to recover from.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt was a very difficult period for me, we were all emotionally down. My mother started a chicken farm after that, and that has sustained our family since,\u201d said Rinzuala. \u201cAs for my injury, it took me a long time to get back to playing football. It was an uncertain period, but I\u2019m happy that I\u2019ve put that past me now. I don\u2019t like to dwell much on it nowadays. It\u2019s better to keep looking forward.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Gokulam Kerala came calling for Rinzuala, and although he played for the club for three seasons, he mostly operated in the reserve team. Just when things did not seem to be going according to plan, Rinzuala decided to take a step back and move back home, when he joined Chhinga Veng to play in the Mizoram Premier League in 2022.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt was a decision that I felt I had to take. Things were not working out for me, and I was not getting to play as much. Also, the situation at home was not that great, so I needed the change in my career, I needed to come back home and start afresh,\u201d said Rinzuala.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
After a good season in the MPL later, the young forward was snapped up by Aizawl FC to play in the I-League.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt was a good moment to finally make it to the I-League. I can now provide for my family, which is the most important thing for me,\u201d he said. \u201cI also have the added advantage of playing professionally from home. I think coming back here has helped me a lot. It helped take my mind away from other things, and now I can focus on football. I am much calmer now, than what I was a few years back.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
As the 23-year-old looks to end the season as the top scorer in the I-League, he has his eyes set on the national colours. \u201cRight now, I think the most important thing is for me to make it to the National Team. I know that\u2019s still some distance away, but that\u2019s where I want to be,\u201d Rinzuala concluded.<\/p>\r\n\r\n", "image": "https:\/\/img.cricketnmore.com\/uploads\/2024\/04\/my-dream-is-to-make-it-to-the-national-team-rinzuala.png", "alt_img": "My dream is to make it to the national team: Rinzuala", "alt_title": "My dream is to make it to the national team: Rinzuala", "image1": null, "video": null, "seo_title": "My Dream Is To Make It To The National Team: Rinzuala On Cricketnmore", "seo_desc": "My Dream Is To Make It To The National Team: Rinzuala, Alejandro Sanchez Lopez: It is rare to see an Indian forward with double figures in the scorers\u2019 charts in the.", "seo_keywords": "Photo Credit, New Delhi, Sunil Chhetri, Bengaluru FC, Bidyashagar Singh, TRAU FC, Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia, Aizawl FC, Bhaichung Bhutia, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Alejandro Sanchez Lopez, Subroto Cup, Anterior Cruciate Ligament, Gokulam Kerala, Chhinga Veng", "tag": "", "tagging": "Photo Credit, New Delhi, Sunil Chhetri, Bengaluru FC, Bidyashagar Singh, TRAU FC, Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia, Aizawl FC, Bhaichung Bhutia, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Alejandro Sanchez Lopez, Subroto Cup, Anterior Cruciate Ligament, Gokulam Kerala, Chhinga Veng", "status": "1", "img_rpt": "0", "google": "1", "standout": "0", "edapps": "0", "pulse": "0", "no_index": "0", "feed": "0", "fixture": null, "slug": "my-dream-is-to-make-it-to-the-national-team-rinzuala", "user_id": "0", "read_count": "0", "ians_date": null, "ians_time": null, "server_time": null, "trash": "0", "view_count": "893", "page_break": "0", "instant_articles": "1", "auto_link": "0", "created": "2024-04-03 17:04:03", "updated": "2024-04-03 17:04:03", "img_from": "Image Source: IANS", "img_source": null, "schedule_publish": null, "news_keywords": "Photo Credit, New Delhi, Sunil Chhetri, Bengaluru FC, Bidyashagar Singh, TRAU FC, Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia, Aizawl FC, Bhaichung Bhutia, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Alejandro Sanchez Lopez, Subroto Cup, Anterior Cruciate Ligament, Gokulam Kerala, Chhinga Veng", "livescore_text": null, "livescore_link": null, "btn_text": null, "resend_feed": "1", "google_feed": "1", "read_more": "0", "posted_by": "23", "jio_date": "2024-04-03 17:04:03", "scheduled": "0", "news_now": "0", "breaking_news": "0", "google_date": null, "featured": "0", "sports_name": "football", "cnmid": "886604", "link": "https:\/\/www.cricketnmore.com\/sports-news\/my-dream-is-to-make-it-to-the-national-team-rinzuala-14351" }