Gurjinder Kumar (Punjabi: ਗੁਰਜਿੰਦਰ ਕੁਮਾਰ; born 10 October 1990) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Super League Kerala club Malappuram FC.
Born in Nawanshahr, Punjab, Gurjinder was born into a family of footballers.[1] At the age of 10, after his older brother died, he started to take football seriously and joined the Chandigarh Football Academy.[1] After spending seven years there Kumar moved to the famed Tata Football Academy where he joined the academy senior side.[1]
In 2010, Gurjinder signed his first professional contract with Pune of the I-League.[1] He scored his first professional goal during his first season at the club on 26 February 2011 against Viva Kerala in which his 11th-minute goal put Pune into an early 2–0 lead.[2] The club eventually managed to get into a 4–0 lead but then gave up four goals to draw the match 4–4.[2] After the 2010–11 season, he was named the Pune's best under-23 player at the club's annual awards ceremony.[1] Gurjinder was part of the team that played against the then Premier League side Blackburn Rovers on 7 October 2011, in a game that Blackburn won 3-0[3] He then scored his second career goal the next season against Viva Kerala again, in a match Pune managed to win 3–1.[4] Kumar then went on to score his third goal of his career, and his second that season, only a month later on 21 December 2011 against Churchill Brothers in which his 84th-minute strike helped Pune finish the match 2–0 winners.[5] His fourth goal of his career, and last for the season, came on 18 January 2012 against Mumbai in which he found the net in the 90th minute to finish a 3–0 victory for Pune.[6] Then after the 2011–12 season, he was given the "Goal of the Year" award for his strike against Chirag United Kerala.[7] He won the Ashok Piramal Group "Young Player of the Year" award for 2012–13 season.[8]
Gurjinder did not score again until the 2013–14 season when his goal against Rangdajied United on 11 December 2013 to give Pune a 2–0 lead which they would eventually give up and lose 3–2.[9]
Gurjinder Kumar signed for Salgaocar for the 2014-15 I-League and made his debut in the 2014-15 Indian Federation Cup, scoring 3 times in the group stages.[10]
In July 2015 Kumar was drafted to play for FC Pune City in the 2015 Indian Super League.[11]
In 2020 Kumar was signed by NorthEast United on a 2 years deal.
In June 2011 Kumar made his international debut for India at the under-23 level against Qatar U23 side for the 2012 Olympic qualifiers.[1] Then on 1 February 2012 Kumar was called up to the senior India side for a preparation camp for the upcoming 2012 AFC Challenge Cup.[12] He then made his senior international debut for India on 27 February 2012 against Azerbaijan in a friendly in which he started and played the full 90 minutes as India lost 0–3.[13][14]