Kerala Blasters’ defender Hormipam Ruivah was named among the 28 probable list for the AFC U-23 Asian Cup 2022 qualifiers announced by the AIFF today.
The robust defender recently made his competitive debut for the Manjappadas in the ongoing Durand Cup following his move from Roundglass Punjab to Kerala Blasters at the end of last season.
Hormipam has been a constant fixture in the various age categories of the Indian national team set up and won the U-18 SAFF Championship in 2019 with the Indian U-18 team in Nepal. This will be his first experience at the U-23 set up and he will be looking to cement his place in the last 23 that will represent the Indian U-23 team in the Asian Cup 2022 qualifiers.
Also read: Hormipam Ruivah wins I League Fan’s Defender of the season 2020-21
The young Blue Tigers will face host nation UAE, Oman, and Kyrgyzstan in their qualifying group and will kick off their campaign on the of 27th October against Kyrgyzstan. The final tournament will be held in Uzbekistan between 1st to 19th June 2022.
Hailing from Somdal Village, Manipur, Hormipam started his football journey at SAI Manipur before signing for the Minerva Punjab Academy in 2018. The exciting center back has been on a meteoric rise since, winning the Hero Elite League with Minerva Punjab in 2019 before winning the U-18 SAFF Championship the same year with the Indian U-18 team in Nepal.
Following his impressive season in the 2019 Hero Elite league, he was snapped up by Indian Arrows. The youngster was a constant fixture for Indian Arrows that season (2019-20); winning two Hero of the Match awards in his debut season and also captaining the side in their tie against TRAU FC.