Rahul Praveen

Youth and early career

Born in Thrissur, Kerala, Rahul played for the Thrissur district under-14 football team and later for the Kerala football team in the same age group. He was the top goalscorer in the under-14 category of the national championship held at Kolkata in 2013. Following that performance, he was selected into the AIFF Elite Academy who was preparing for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup to be hosted in India. After playing in the tournament, Rahul was selected to play for the Indian Arrows, an All India Football Federation-owned team that would consist of U-20 players to give them playing time. He made his professional debut for the side in the Arrows' first match of the season against Chennai City. He started and played the whole match as Indian Arrows won 3–0. A month later, on 26 December, Rahul scored his first professional goal against Shillong Lajong. His 91st-minute goal was the last for the Arrows in a 3–0 victory. He scored again for the club in their next match against Mohun Bagan on 29 December. This time, his 33rd-minute goal was the equalizer as the Indian Arrows drew the match 1–1. He became the first Indian player to score in the Indian Super Cup 2019 by scoring against Mumbai City FC during the qualification round.

Kerala Blasters: 2019–2025

On 19 March 2019, he signed for Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters. He made his debut on October 24, 2019, coming off the bench in the 54th minute as Kerala lost 1–0 to Mumbai City. On…

Youth

Rahul represented the India under-17 team which participated in the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup for which India was the host nation. He made his debut in the U-17 World Cup on 6 October 2022 in a 3–0 loss against the United States. Rahul later went on to play for the India under-20 team and the India under-23 team.

Senior

On 20 September 2022, Rahul was named in India's squad for the Hung Tinh Friendly football tournament in Vietnam. He made his first senior appearance for India on 24 September 2022 in a 1–1 draw against Singapore by coming as a substitute for Ashique Kuruniyan in the 68th minute. He was a member of the Indian team for the 2022 Asian Games. He was the only goal scorer in a 1-5 loss against China.

Rahul primarily plays as a right-winger and can be also deployed as a left-winger. He is naturally right-footed and is known for his speed, explosiveness, dribbling and work rate. Rahul has also been deployed as a striker on several games.

In May 2021, Rahul was signed as the first ever South-Indian brand ambassador of MyFitness, India's first U.S. FDA registered Peanut Butter brand.