Jobby Justin


Jobby Justin is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a forward for both ATK Mohun Bagan and the Indian national team.

Career

Joby grew up playing football on the beaches of Vettucaud but did not take the game seriously until his eighth standard when he joined St Joseph's HSS. Playing for St Mary's Club, he was already being noticed in the city's football circles. After joining MG College, the youngster continued to appear in tournaments including TNIE GOAL 2013.
Soon, the opportunity to represent Kerala under-19 team came in the Junior National Championship held at Kolkata. As a wing back, he also finished runners-up in the all-India inter-university tournament with the Kerala University before signing as a guest player for Travancore Titanium in 2013, before joining KSEB.
In KSEB he made the switch from the flanks as a wing back to the midfield. He then represented Kerala football team in the Santhosh Trophy where he started to play as a center forward.

East Bengal

2017–2018 Season

In June 2017 East Bengal had send scouts to the coastal state of Kerala to watch the inaugural Kerala Premier League to find new talent for the red and gold. One player who caught the eye of the scouts was Kerala State Electricity Board striker Joby Justin, one of the best players in the tournament.
On 18 July 2017 East Bengal signed joby along with goalkeeper Mirshad Michu for the 2017–18 I-League season. On 28 August 2018 Joby made his debut for the club in the 2017–18 Calcutta Premier Division match against Railways. He scored in the 3rd minute of the game to give the Red and Gold brigade an early lead and there by winning the game 3–0.
On 2 January 2018 Jobby made his professional debut as he was included in the starting eleven against Indian Arrows in the 2017–18 I-League. An injury to Trinidad and Tobago striker Willis Plaza opened the doors for him to the first 11. He returned the trust shown in him by coach Khalid Jamil by scoring in the next two fixtures against Churchill Brothers and Minerva Punjab. He made a total of 9 appearances in the season.

2018–2019 Season

Jobby extended his stay at the Kolkata club for another season. On 1 November 2018 He scored a brace against Shillong Lajong in a 1–3 away win.The 25-year-old striker has improved significantly after Menendez took charges of East Bengal.
He was involved in 12 goals, which counts for more than 50 per cent of East Bengal's total goals scored in the season.
He scored in both derby matches and became a fan favorite.
On 26 February 2019 He was handed an interim suspension along with Aizawl’s Kareem Nurain for their ugly spats during Eastbengal' home game against Aizawl FC. Justin was found spitting on Nurain after an ugly second-half tackle, while the Nigerian was involved in a fight with East Bengal defender Borja Gomez.
On 5 March 2019 The AIFF’s disciplinary committee imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on Justin, along with the six-match suspension.

ATK

On 3 April 2019 He joined Indian Super League franchise ATK.

International career

In May 2019, Jobby was named in the 37-men probables list for 2019 King's Cup by the newly appointed coach Igor Štimac. However he was dropped from the final squad.
In July 2019, he was named in the final squad for 2019 Intercontinental Cup. He made his debut in a 2–4 loss against Tajikistan, replacing Sunil Chhetri at the 88th minute of the game, playing the last 6 minutes of the game.
He made his first start for the National team in the following Intercontinental Cup match against DPR Korea, playing 54 minutes before getting substituted.

Career statistics

Club

All appearances in Kerala Premier League
All appearances in Calcutta Football League

Honours

Club

;KSEB
;East Bengal FC