Bhubaneswar: Odisha FC on Wednesday announced that the club has signed Narender Gahlot until May 2025.
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This is his new home.
NARENDER GAHLOT is a ?????????? ?#OdishaFC x @NarenderGahlot #AmaTeamAmaGame pic.twitter.com/teNJGHyg2i
— Odisha FC (@OdishaFC) June 1, 2022
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Narender started playing as a midfielder through the Chandigarh Football Academy.
Turned into a center-back by his coach, Gahlot excelled in the role and gradually developed into one of the most promising talents in the country. After the tournament, he moved to Indian Arrows, where his reputation skyrocketed. He was handed his India senior team debut by Igor Stimac in Hero Intercontinental Cup 2019.
In his debut Hero ISL campaign in 2019-20, Gahlot made 11 appearances for Jamshedpur FC.
Narender scored his first-ever international goal in his second match against Syria on 16 July 2019 at the EKA arena in Ahmedabad. With this goal, he became the first Indian player to score for the national team, born in the 21st century, and also became the then second-youngest goal scorer for the national team at the age of 18 years 83 days behind Jerry Zirsanga. Gahlot also won his first Player of the Match award in this match, as the game finished 1–1.
Till now, he has played 36 matches for Jamshedpur. His positioning and tackling skills make him one of the most promising central defenders in the country. Recently, he won the ISL League Winners’ Shield with the Men of Steel.