Princeton Rebello

Princeton Rebello
Personal information
Date of birth (1999-03-05) 5 March 1999 (age 25)
Place of birth Betalbatim, Goa, India
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Attacking midfielder, central midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Punjab
Youth career
Velsao Pale Sports Club
Betalbatim Sports Club
2014 Queens Park Rangers
2015–2016 Betalbatim Sports Club
2016 AIFF Elite Academy
2016–2017 Sporting Goa
2016 Vasco
2017 → Penha de Franca (loan)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2023 Goa 45 (0)
2017–2018 → Indian Arrows (loan) 4 (0)
2023–2024 Odisha 20 (1)
2024– Punjab 0 (0)
International career‡
2017 India U20 4 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:30, 28 April 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 6 January 2020

Princeton Rebello (born 5 March 1999) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Indian Super League club Punjab.

Career

Early career

Born in Betalbatim, Goa, Rebello started playing football at the age of four and would constantly play alongside the kids in his neighborhood.[1] While playing in an under-8 football tournament, Eban Mesquita, a coach for Betalbatim based Velsao Pale Sports Club, scouted Rebello and got him to join Velsao Pale.[1] A few years ago, after impressing enough during an under-13 tournament to be named the Emerging Player of the Tournament, Rebello was reportedly told by then Dempo head coach Armando Colaco that he would like to take Rebello to the club eventually as a senior player, but after playing with Betalbatim Sports Club.[1]

In July 2014, Rebello moved out of India to England and joined the under-15 side for Queens Park Rangers.[1] He stayed at the English football academy for six months before returning to India to rejoin Batalbatim. He would soon join the AIFF Elite Academy before moving back to England.[1] Since he was only able to secure a six-month permit, Queens Park Rangers sent him on trial with Watford. Watford offered him a chance in their academy but it would have required Rebello to concede his Indian citizenship for Portuguese. Rebello rejected the move to change his nationality and moved back to India.[2][1]

In mid-2016, Rebello re-joined his former head coach, Eban Mesquita, at Goa Professional League side Vasco. During his time with Vasco, Rebello recorded six assists and three goals.[1] He was soon also selected to join Goa's football team for the Santosh Trophy but was not selected in the end for unknown reasons.[1] After spending some time with Vasco, Rebello moved to Sporting Goa, where he would be part of the team's youth squad.[1]

Indian Arrows

In January 2018, Rebello joined Indian Arrows, the All India Football Federation's developmental squad, in the I-League on loan from Goa.[3] He made his professional debut for the club on 8 January 2018 against Shillong Lajong. He came on as a 46th minute substitute for Abhijit Sarkar as Indian Arrows lost 1–0.[4]

Goa

In April 2017, Goa of the Indian Super League announced that they would be opening a developmental squad and that Rebello was one of the members of the squad.[5] On 23 October 2019, Rebello made his Goa debut, coming on in the 87th minute as Goa beat Chennaiyin 3–0 in the Indian Super League.

International

Rebello participated with the India U19 side during the 2017 SAFF U-18 Championship.[6] In India's first match of the tournament, Rebello scored from a 30-yard freekick but it wasn't enough to prevent India from getting a defeat, 4–3.[6] A couple months later, in November 2017, Rebello was called-up again for India's 2018 AFC U-19 Championship qualifiers.[7]

Career statistics

As of 24 February 2021[8]
Club Season League Cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Goa 2018–19 Indian Super League 0 0 0 0 — — 0 0
2019–20 8 0 0 0 — — 8 0
2020–21 16 0 0 0 — — 16 0
Indian Arrows (loan) 2017–18 I-League 4 0 0 0 — — 4 0
Career total 28 0 0 0 0 0 28 0

Honours

FC Goa

Odisha

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Pinto, Basil (26 April 2017). "With an eye on India jersey, Princeton turns a Gaur". The Goan. Archived from the original on 23 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  2. ^ "Meet Princeton Rebello, who rejected Watford FC to keep his dream of playing for India alive". Sportskeeda. Archived from the original on 24 August 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  3. ^ "Goan FC down Panjim Footballers". Herald Goa. 11 January 2018. Archived from the original on 11 January 2018.
  4. ^ "Shillong Lajong 1-0 Indian Arrows". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 23 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  5. ^ "FC Goa show intent with capture of Derrick, Liston". The Times of India. TNN. 24 April 2017. Archived from the original on 1 November 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  6. ^ a b Nisanth V Easwar (18 September 2017). "Bangladesh 4-3 India - Young Blues succumb to second half comeback by Bengal Tigers". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 7 May 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  7. ^ Peter, Ashish (3 November 2017). "AFC U-19 Championships Qualifiers: India Squad, Schedule, Venue And More". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 7 May 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  8. ^ Princeton Rebello at Soccerway
  9. ^ Amitabha Das Sharma (14 April 2019). "FC Goa's long wait for a trophy ends". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2 July 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  10. ^ "FC Goa clinch maiden Durand Cup trophy after beating Mohammedan Sporting 1-0 in final". ESPN. Archived from the original on 4 October 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2021.