Lalthathanga Khawlhring (born 30 March 1998), commonly known as Puitea, is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Indian Super League club Odisha.
Club career Bethlehem Vengthlang Born in Mizoram, Lalthathanga began his career with Bethlehem Vengthlang in the Mizoram Premier League before joining DSK Shivajians's academy. After the 2015–16 season, Lalthathanga was named as the best midfielder in the league.
DSK Shivajians On 8 January 2017 Lalthathanga made his professional debut for DSK Shivajians in their opening I-League fixture of the 2016–17 season against Mumbai. He started and played the full match despite DSK Shivajians falling 1–0 at the Cooperage Ground.
North East United
Loan to Aizawl On 29 July 2017, NorthEast United announced that they had completed a transfer for Lalthathanga, who signed a three-year contract but was immediately loaned to Aizawl for the 2017–18 season. He was a mainstay for Aizawl during the season, and would finish the season with a solitary goal.
Return to North East United
After successful season with Aizawl, Lalthathanga came back to NorthEast United for season 2018–19 season. On 1 October 2018, he made his debut against Goa. He played one more season there and made a total of 29 appearances for the club.
Kerala Blasters
On 16 September, he was signed by Kerala Blasters FC on a three-year deal. He made his debut for the Blasters against ATK Mohun Bagan on 20 November 2020, coming as a substitute in the 47th minute, where the match ended 1–0 in favour of ATK Mohun Bagan. He scored his first-ever goal in Indian Super League and for the club against Bengaluru FC on 20 January 2021, coming on as a 46th minute substitute for Jordan Murray and the match ended 2–1 in favour for Kerala Blasters.
Puitea was included in the Kerala Blasters squad for the 2021 Durand Cup, and played all three matches for the club in the tournament. He played his first match of the 2021–22 Indian Super League on 25 November 2021, which ended in a 0–0 draw as a substitute for Ayush Adhikari in the 60th minute of the game. Puitea played a fundamental role in Kerala Blasters 3–1 victory over Mumbai City FC on 2 March 2022, and was chosen as the man of the match in the post-match conference. He formed a solid partnership with Jeakson Singh in the midfield and helped the Blasters to reach the finals, which they lost to Hyderabad on penalties.
ATK Mohun Bagan On 29 December 2022, Puitea was announced to have agreed to join ATK Mohun Bagan for an undisclosed fee subject to the player completing a medical. On 18 March 2023, he won the 2022–23 Indian Super League trophy as ATK Mohun Bagan FC beat Bengaluru FC in the final on penalties.
Career statistics Club
ClubSeasonLeagueNational CupAFCOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsDSK ShivajiansI-League4000——40NorthEast United2018–19Indian Super League20010——2102019–20Indian Super League9000——90Total290100000300Aizawl (loan)2017–18I-League1711070—251Kerala Blasters2020–21Indian Super League10100——1012021–22Indian Super League20000—302302022–23Indian Super League6000——60Total361000030391ATK Mohun Bagan2022–23Indian Super League8020——100Odisha2023–24Indian Super League2315171—3532024–25Indian Super League12100——121Total352517130474Career total129491141301556
Honours
ATK Mohun Bagan Indian Super League: 2022–23
Kerala Blasters Indian Super League runner up: 2021–22.
Individual Mizoram Premier League Best Midfielder: 2015–16
References
External links DSK Shivajians profile. .