Anas Edathodika

Anas Edathodika (born 15 February 1987) is a former Indian professional footballer who played as a centre-back.

Club career Early career Born in Kondotty, Malappuram, Kerala, He studied in the EMEA College of Arts and Science, Kondotty. Anas began to take up football as a serious activity when he was in tenth grade, joining the Malappuram U14s. While playing football, Anas also worked as a driver who would drive people around town for Rs. 180 a day. He then joined the football team of N.S.S College, Manjeri, where he groomed his skills under Dr. P.M. Sudhir Kumar. Eventually, he was spotted by former India international Feroz Sherif while playing in an inter-collegiate game.

Pune After playing for four seasons with Mumbai Anas signed for rivals Pune F.C. of the I-League on a two-year deal on 23 July 2011. On his signing, Pune's Head of Operations, Chirag Tanna, said "We have been tracking Anas's progress since the last two years and we are glad that he has signed a two-year contract". However, the match did not last long for Anas as he was sent off after 15 minutes for his second yellow card for a rough tackle on Mauro Formica.

Before the 2012–13 season it was revealed that Anas had been hit with malaria which made him miss part of Pune's pre-season. However, it was reported that on 2 August 2012 that he had returned to Pune's pre-season training. Due to this feat Anas managed to win the Pune Football Club Player of The Year award for 2012–13. In winning the award, he became the first Indian to win the club's biggest award and also the first defender to win it. He led the side in the club's first league match of the season against Mohammedan at the Salt Lake Stadium on 21 September 2013. Anas played the full match for Pune as the club won the match 3–1.

Jamshedpur On 23 July 2017, Anas was selected in the first round of the 2017–18 ISL Players Draft by Jamshedpur for the 2017–18 Indian Super League, thus making him the first player in Jamshedpur history. He made his debut for the club during the first-ever match on 18 November 2017 against NorthEast United. He started and played the whole match as Jamshedpur drew 0–0.

Kerala Blasters In 2018, he was signed by Kerala Blasters, his home club. He partnered with his national teammate Sandesh Jhingan at centre-back.

ATK In 2019, he signed for ATK. He was given the number 30 jersey.

International career Anas made his senior international debut for India on 22 March 2017 in a 3-2 friendly win against Cambodia. He represented India at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.

Career statistics Club

International

Honours

India Tri-Nation Series: 2017 Intercontinental Cup: 2018

Individual I-League "Jarnail Singh" Award for Best Defender: 2016–17