Pronay Halder BiographyTechnically sound defensive midfielder Pronay Halder is renowned for his strategic insight. Pronay’s desire to play football predated all other sports. Maybe that’s why he loves performing best in front of his followers. In the real sense, he is a fighter on the field. Pronay, the ubiquitous and hard-tackling central midfielder, consistently performs admirably.
Pronay Halder, one of the most technically sound football players of his generation, has persevered through numerous challenges and battled the obstacles to establish himself as a key player on the Indian football team.
Pronay Halder Biography
Born in a Football-playing family
On February 25, 1993, Pronay was born in the West Bengali city of Barrackpore. His younger brother Prayashu played for Mohun Bagan, just like his older brother Pronay, and his father Prabhat Halder managed a club in the Calcutta Football League (CFL). Prabhat is regarded as a guy of outstanding morals in the football community. Before leaving the army, he was the coach of the police AC squad.
Football was first introduced to the young Pronay, who began attending the Mangal Pandey football camp close to his home before he turned five.
Footballing career
Pronay Halder is a Tata Football Academy (TFA) product that is defensively strong, strategically astute, and a demolisher. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) Elite Academy Class of 2011 graduate, who is a 26-year-old midfielder born in Barrackpore, seems to be making steady progress in his career.
However, following successful periods at Pailan Arrows and Dempo, injuries had other ideas for what appeared to be a bright future.
Halder recovered from his injury that kept him out of the I-League for nearly the whole 2014–15 season, and shortly after, he was given his India senior football team jersey by then-coach Stephen Constantine during a friendly match against Nepal.
Entry into the Indian Super League
Halder signed for Mumbai City FC for the 2016 ISL season. The then Mumbai City FC coach Alexandre Guimaraes described Pronay Halder as being ‘physically strong, a good passer, and technically gifted’. Halder’s ability to attack and defend from midfield has seen him compared to Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho, who currently plays for English club Manchester City.
In 2017, he was picked by FC Goa in the ISL draft. For ISL’s fourth season, ATK signed Halder on a two-year deal. With 48 tackles, 21 interceptions, and 16 clearances in ISL-4 (2018–2019), he has been the mainstay in ATK’s midfield.
Pronay Halder Biography: Club statistics
| Club | Season | League | Federation Cup | Durand Cup/Super Cup | AFC | Total | ||||||
| Div | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Palian Arrows | 2011-12 | I-League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 |
| 2012-13 | I-League | 21 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 1 | |
| Palian Arrows total | 24 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 1 | ||
| Dempo | 2013-14 | I-League | 17 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 0 |
| 2014-15 | I-League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | |
| Dempo total | 20 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 | ||
| Mohun Bagan | 2015-16 | I-League | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| 2016-17 | I-League | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| Mohun Bagan total | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 28 | 0 | ||
| 2015 | Indian Super League | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 0 | |
| Mumbai City | 2016 | Indian Super League | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 0 |
| Goa | 2017-18 | Indian Super League | 13 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 0 |
| ATK | 2018-19 | Indian Super League | 16 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 0 |
| Career total | 90 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 119 | 1 |
Indian team
On August 31, 2015, Pronay received his first call-up to play in an international friendly against Nepal, donning the blue shirt. With his Indian shirt, he became the 496th player to wear one. Regarding his lone goal, it was a long-range effort against Chinese Taipei during the Intercontinental Cup in Mumbai.
In January of this year, Pronay captained the Indian team in the AFC Asian Cup. India lost the match and was eliminated from the competition.
Pronay’s Football performance
| Year | Appearance | Goals |
| 2015 | 5 | 0 |
| 2016 | 5 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | 4 | 1 |
| 2019 | 3 | 0 |
When discussing the future of football with Hindustan Times, Pronay once stated, “We need to create more facilities for people at the grassroots level. There is a lot of encouragement for kids who wish to play football in Qatar and Spain. The ideal age for a player to develop strong skills is between six and seven years old.”
“Certain teams in the I-League possessed facilities, while others did not. Indian football has advanced and all clubs now have better facilities than before the ISL. We are now traveling overseas to get experience. During the Brazil World Cup, I had the opportunity to play alongside Lúcio. I asked him how our team could get better, and he gave some insightful advice,” Pronay said in an interview with Hindustan Times.
Pronay Halder Biography: Net worth
The market value of an Indian midfield player is reportedly Rs one crore. In 2016, Mohun Bagan signed him for an impressive Rs 1.15 crore. Pronay Halder signed an ISL contract with ATK in 2018 with an agreed-upon compensation of Rs 65 lakh.
Pronay is among the innumerable Indian football players who grew up in middle-class families and yet have a gentle demeanor. While his occasional violent tackling and never-say-die mentality on the field have won him praise, his discipline record has been a source of concern because he consistently receives unwarranted bookings.
Pronay Halder is a dependable midfield player who gives his all on the field and fulfills his responsibilities. One of the cornerstones of the Indian national football squad is the always-vigilant midfielder. We hope the best for him!
Also read, (Top 10) Famous Football Players In India Of All Time
