East Bengal FC starlet Lalchungnunga opens up about life in the ISL, his partnership with Ivan Gonzalez, and aims for the new year

Quite like his footballing idol, Sergio Ramos, Lalchungnunga has been molded into a centre-back from a right-back very early on in his career. At Sreenidi Deccan FC, the young defender established himself as an exciting prospect in the full-back spot playing in the I-League last season.

Hence, it was no surprise when Indian Super League (ISL) outfit East Bengal came hunting for his signature on a loan deal ahead of the 2022-23 season. Soon enough, Nunga, as he's fondly called at the club, transformed himself into the central piece in the defensive puzzle for the Red and Gold Brigade.

While East Bengal might be languishing in the bottom half of the table, the 22-year-old has managed to catch plenty of eyeballs with the sheer audacity he has shown to make that unscathed switch from the second division to the top tier. Even the eyes of rival teams. The former Aizawl FC stopper is the only player at his club so far (in the first 11 games) to have played every single minute in the ISL.

Hey Nunga, where are you going? 🥺🤔

#Nunga2026 #JoyEastBengal https://t.co/GYPpKEdBjI

Hence, the Torchbearers, on an almost urgent basis, managed to tie down Nunga on a permanent deal until the end of the 2025-26 season. Asked by Sportskeeda, in a press conference organized by East Bengal for a select group of journalists, about the backing he has received from the coach, Lalchungnunga averred:

"The coach is putting a lot of stress on me, pushing me every day and he believes in me so much that helps me grow as a player and even as a person. He's very good with man management and pushes every player in training"

Making the jump from I-League to ISL is often about timing. Nunga knows a fair bit about perfecting the timing, whether during a crunching tackle or while pacing out his career.

He spoke in detail about the contrast in quality between the two leagues during the press conference, saying:

"In the I-League, the quality of foreign players and even the Indian players are a bit different when compared to ISL. This is my first season in the ISL and the quality is very good. Sometimes I am also surprised by the quality of the opponent's forwards. It's obviously more difficult to play in the ISL, but it gives me the challenge to push myself every day."

At his new club, the Mizoram-born defender has been lucky to find a friend and guide his center-back partner, Ivan Gonzalez. Nunga revealed that the Spaniard has helped him improve with every passing day. He averred:

"Ivan and I are very good friends He has helped me in training before the match, after the matches, telling me what I can do better. He tries to improve me day by day."

Ivan's efforts to nurture the youngster are visible. The former Sreenidi Deccan defender has already registered 38 tackles, 14 interceptions, 54 clearances, and 19 blocks this season. The whole calmness around his demeanor suggests he's hungry for more.

East Bengal FC's Lalchungnunga eager to break into the Indian national team setup

For Nunga, 2022 was a breakthrough year in his brief career so far. After his exploits in the I-League with the Vizag-based outfit, where they finished the season in third after the Championship round, he quickly made a jump to the ISL.

As mentioned earlier, the 22-year-old is already one of the first names on the team list, and in the last few days of the year, he also secured a lucrative deal with the Kolkata giants.

𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓! 🫂

#JoyEastBengal #Nunga2026 twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/xzBw69XbAs

Asked by Sportskeeda what his personal targets are for 2023, the centre-back explained:

"For me, my main goal is to work hard and improve more in the game. Then play for the national team and also help my team at the ISL level and win all the matches."

With India rapidly becoming a breeding ground of sorts for quality ball-playing centre-backs, for Lalchungnunga to break into the national team setup might be a soaring jump. But oh boy, the young man has already proven that he's got the heart to make a leap!