ATK Mohun Bagan rocky center-back Sandesh Jhingan is likely to quit the Kolkata-based club soon. The 28-year-old defender was adjudged with the AIFF Men’s Footballer of the year award recently. He made a solid comeback after an ACL injury and switched to ATK Mohun Bagan from Kerala Blasters. He currently serves as the unofficial third captain of the Indian national team and has cemented his place since 2015.
Jhingan also had links with big clubs like Al-Gharafa SC and Motherwell FC during his Kerala Blasters days. But he was out of the game for 13 months due to an ACL injury and had to focus on his career in India. Instead, he joined Kolkata giants ATK Mohun Bagan and reached on top of his game in just a matter of one season. And he is very confident about an abroad move after being the best Indian footballer in the 2020-21 season.
Sandesh Jhingan Ready For European Stint
Jhingan started his ISL career with Kerala Blasters in 2014 and quickly rose to fame. He won the ISL Emerging player award with Blasters in his debut season where a club finished the season as runners-up. Over the years he polished his game for The Tuskers and also served as captain for two seasons. He was the highest-paid Indian footballer when he renewed his contract with Kerala Blasters before the 2017-18 ISL season. He made a total of 78 appearances for Blasters and also holds the record of most appearances for the club. They also retired the number 21 jersey to pay tribute for contributions in the club’s journey.
Sandesh Jhingan Accolades:
| Year | Award |
| 2014 | ISL Emerging Player of the Season |
| 2014 | AIFF Emerging player of the Year |
| 2020 | Arjuna Award |
| 2020-21 | AIFF Men’s Player of the Year |
St. Stephen’s Academy youth product was once unable to in the flight football in his early days. Thus he began his senior career with 2nd Division I-League side United Sikkim in 2011. He played alongside legends like Renedy Singh and Bhaichung Bhutia there and also helped the club to clinch 2nd Division in order to enter I-League first division. While playing for Kerala Blasters, he had numerous loan spells at I-League clubs like Sporting Goa, DSK Shivajians, and Bengaluru FC. Apart from this, he also has 4 goals in 40 appearances for the Indian team during national duty.
Sandesh Jhingan Career statistics at glance:
| Team | Years | League | Appearances | Goals | Assists | Minutes |
| United Sikkim | 2011-2013 | I-League 2nd Division | 23 | 2 | 0 | 1840 |
| Mumbai FC | 2013-2014 | I-League | 11 | 0 | 0 | 984 |
| Kerala Blasters | 2014-2020 | Indian Super League | 78 | 0 | 4 | 6935 |
| Sporting Goa (loan) | 2015 | I-League | 11 | 1 | 0 | 969 |
| DSK Shivajians (loan) | 2016 | I-League | 7 | 0 | 0 | 630 |
| Bengaluru FC (loan) | 2017 | I-League | 18 | 1 | 0 | 1573 |
| ATK Mohun Bagan | 2020-present | Indian Super League | 22 | 0 | 0 | 1892 |
| Indian national team | 2015-present | – | 41 | 4 | 0 | 3489 |
Jhingan has a current transfer market value of around ₹2.1 crore rupees which makes him 2nd most valuable Indian player right now. Although he joined ATK Mohun Bagan on a free transfer after his contract termination with Kerala Blasters on mutual consent. He currently has 5-year contract with ATK Mohun Bagan side with 4 years remaining.
Sandesh Jhingan’s market value over the years:
| Year | Value | Club | Age |
| 2013 | ₹21 lakhs | United Sikkim | 20 years |
| 2016 | ₹1.04 crores | Kerala Blasters | 23 years |
| 2017 | ₹1.67 crores | Kerala Blasters | 24 years |
| 2018 | ₹2.1 crores | Kerala Blasters | 25 years |
| 2020 | ₹1.67 crores | Kerala Blasters | 27 years |
| 2021 | ₹2.1 crores | ATK Mohun Bagan | 28 years |
Jhingan wants to seek new challenges abroad which will help him to become a better player. And he also received interests from Europe, including clubs from Australia, Croatia, and Greece. He is yet to speak openly about his current situation but rumors suggest that he may confirm it soon. It’ll be a great sign for Indian fans to see India’s premier central defender competing in European football. And Jhingan’s journey will also set the path for all young budding footballers with a desire to play football abroad.
