The Mizo samuri Samuel Lalmuanpuia’s outstanding performance in the 2017-18 I-League won him the I League U-22 Player of the season award. Former Kerala Blasters coach Eelco Schattorie spotted him due to his amazing performance in I-league, which lead to his transfer to ISL side Kerala Blasters .
Born in Mizoram, Lalmuanpuia began his career with Shillong Lajong. He represented Lajong’s youth side in the Shillong Premier League, where he was top scorer in 2015, and the I-League U19. He made his professional debut for the club on 21 February 2016 against DSK Shivajians. The former Shillong Lajong captain joined the youth side of the club during the Shillong Premier League in 2015, where he was the top-scorer. Samuel made his professional debut for the club in 2016 and has also played for former I-League champion Minerva Punjab FC.
Samuel Lalmuanpuia is a rare type of Indian player, comfortable on either wings during his tenure with Shillong Lajong, where he was mainly deployed as an attacking midfielder. He is known for his prolific dribbling skills and excellent command over dead ball situations. His corners and free-kicks can change the course of any game within the blink of an eye.
Lalmuanpuia has played 64 games for Lajong in the national circuit and has scored 13 goals with several assists to his credit. Lalmuanpuia’s elegant movement on and off the ball apart from his free-kick brilliance earned him the title of the I-League Emerging Player of the 2017-18 season. He was highly praised by Shattorie but unfortunately, he lacked gametime, being shadowed by other wingers in the Kerala Blasters lineup and hence he didn’t get chance to proven his potential in Kerala Blasters.
He was heavily linked with newly relocated club Odisha FC. Recently, the team announced the arrival of the mizo dynamite to form a firepower partnership with other promising young Indian prodigies likeJerry Mawihmingthanga and Nanda Kumar .