Hero Indian Super League Season 1 ended in December 2014, with many legendary memories for the fans to take away. Naoba Thokchom Singh was one of the players who created those memories.His role as a right-back for Delhi Dynamos FC earned him a lot of praise from fans as well as their coach Harm Van Veldhoven. His tally of nine successful tackles, three blocks and 18 interceptions – all in mere five matches did not go unnoticed amongst many. Delhi Dynamos might not have made it through to the semi-finals, but they sure found a repeat performer in Naoba.All the way from Manipur, Naoba is 27-year-old and is plying his trade for Royal Wahingdoh FC. His career has seen many turbulent storms but he has seen better days too. His love for the sport grew from his younger days when he spent time working as a ball boy in professional games back home. His humble beginnings, however, had no effect on his dreams. He would somehow try to balance education with his passion, and then came the day when he would find himself a spot at the Tata Football Academy, one of the country’s premier institutions for football training.What followed were two separate but enriching stints in different parts of India. He was an acclaimed right-back for Churchill Brothers S.C. (2006-2010) and East Bengal (2010 – 2014) and added several titles to his tally – I-League, Durand Cup, Federation Cup, IFA Shield and his brush with the AFC Champions League. His India U-23 and senior team debuts would also come about in 2009 when the national side won also the SAFF Championship.Naoba would then fly to Kolkata continuing on his victorious spree. His next four years would be spent playing for East Bengal. Within that period, the Red-and-Golds clinched the Federation Cup titles in 2010 and 2012, and the IFA Shield in 2012.He is known for his fighting spirit. His style on the field is influenced a lot by his role model, Dani Alves. Holding the defence tight, Naoba is known to move up the flanks and set up goals – at times even scoring them. He mentions that it has a lot to do with the formation in play and the current situation of that match.Fans are waiting with bated breath to see the Manipuri go up against other ISL teams come October!
