->JJMC89 bot III: Moving :Category:Churchill Brothers S.C. players to :Category:Churchill Brothers FC Goa players per Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Speedy

2021-02-27T08:27:50Z

Moving Category:Churchill Brothers S.C. players to Category:Churchill Brothers FC Goa players per Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Speedy

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{{short description|Indian footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2018}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Pankaj Sona
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| fullname = Pankaj Sona
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1993|11|3|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Jharsuguda]], [[Odisha]], India
| height = 
| currentclub = [[Churchill Brothers S.C.|Churchill Brothers]]
| clubnumber = 20
| position = [[Forward (association football)|Forward]]
| youthyears1 = 2005–2010
| youthclubs1 = Government Sports Hostel
| youthyears2 = 2010–2012
| youthclubs2 = [[Tata Football Academy]]
| years1 = 2012–2013
| clubs1 = [[Pailan Arrows]]
| caps1 = 0
| goals1 = 0
| years2 = 2014–
| clubs2 = [[Churchill Brothers S.C.|Churchill Brothers]]
| caps2 =4
| goals2 = 0
| nationalyears1 =
| nationalteam1 = [[India national under-20 football team|India U20]]
| nationalcaps1 =
| nationalgoals1 =
| club-update = 14 April 2017
| ntupdate = 14 April 2017
}}

'''Pankaj Sona''' (born 3 November 1993) is an Indian professional [[association football|footballer]] who plays as a [[forward (association football)|forward]] for [[Churchill Brothers S.C.|Churchill Brothers]] in the [[I-League]].

==Career==
Born in [[Jharsuguda]], [[Odisha]], Sona was encouraged by his uncle, a district level footballer himself, to attend trials with the Government Sports Hostel.<ref name="FP">{{cite news|title=Pankaj Sona: The Striker Who Ran Out of Class To Attend Trials|url=http://feverpitch.in/articles/features/pankaj-sona-striker-who-ran-out-class-attend-trials|accessdate=14 April 2017|work=FeverPitch|date=13 October 2014}}</ref> Even while at the academy, Sona was considered a very raw talent and also needed to learn the basics about injuries and how to recover.<ref name="FP"/> In 2010, after participating in the Biju Patnaik Gold Cup in [[Bhubaneswar]], Sona was awarded as the best player of the tournament. Despite this achievement, officials from the [[Tata Football Academy]], who were scouting during the tournament, originally didn't select Sona for trials with the academy.<ref name="FP"/> Sona's coach, Gangadhar Behera, managed to intervene with the Tata officials and Sona was added to the list of trialists. After the trial of 20 players from the tournament, Sona was the only one selected to join the academy.<ref name="FP"/>

Sona graduated from the Tata Football Academy in 2012 and soon signed a professional contract with the [[All India Football Federation]] developmental [[I-League]] side, [[Pailan Arrows]].<ref name="FP"/> However, a year later, the club disbanded and Sona decided to pursue academics before being informed of trials with [[Churchill Brothers S.C.|Churchill Brothers]] in [[Goa]]. Sona reportedly skipped his classes to catch a plane to Goa and attend the trials, where he impressed Churchill Brothers officials and coaches.<ref name="FP"/> He began playing first-team matches for the club in the [[Goa Professional League]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Churchill Bros, Calangute play a drab draw|url=http://www.heraldgoa.in/Sports/Churchill-Bros-Calangute-play-a-drab-draw/109554.html|accessdate=14 April 2017|work=Herald Goa|date=18 December 2016}}</ref>

On 7 March 2017, three years after signing with the club, Sona made his professional debut for the club in the [[I-League]] against [[East Bengal F.C.|East Bengal]]. He came on as an 86th-minute substitute for [[Brandon Fernandes]] as Churchill Brothers won 2–1.<ref>{{cite web|title=East Bengal 1-2 Churchill Brothers|url=https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2017/03/07/india/i-league/east-bengal-club-fc/churchill-brothers-sc/2391596/|website=Soccerway}}</ref>

==International==
Sona has represented India at the [[India national under-20 football team|under-20]] and [[India national under-23 football team|under-23]] levels. For the under-20 side, Sona traveled with the side to China in 2011 for the Weifang Cup.<ref name="FP"/> Sona represented the under-23 side in practice matches but never competitively.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Nayan Das|first1=Rudra|title=India u-22 wins two practice matches against Bangalore super division teams|url=http://www.indianfootballnetwork.com/blog/2012/05/26/indiau22wins/|accessdate=14 April 2017|work=IndianFootballNetwork|date=26 May 2012}}</ref>

==Career statistics==
{{updated|14 April 2017}}<ref>{{soccerway|pankaj-sona/476742}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season
!colspan="3"|League
!colspan="2"|League Cup
!colspan="2"|Domestic Cup
!colspan="2"|Continental
!colspan="2"|Total
|-
!Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|rowspan="1"|[[Churchill Brothers S.C.|Churchill Brothers]]
|[[2016–17 I-League|2016–17]]
|[[I-League]]||2||0||—||—||0||0||—||—||2||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Career total
!2!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!2!!0
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Churchill Brothers S.C. squad}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sona, Pankaj}}
[[Category:1993 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Odisha]]
[[Category:Indian footballers]]
[[Category:Indian Arrows players]]
[[Category:Churchill Brothers FC Goa players]]
[[Category:Association football forwards]]
[[Category:Footballers from Odisha]]
[[Category:Goa Professional League players]]
[[Category:I-League players]]
[[Category:India youth international footballers]]

Pankaj Sona - Revision history

->JJMC89 bot III: Moving :Category:Churchill Brothers S.C. players to :Category:Churchill Brothers FC Goa players per Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Speedy