The talented young left-back will join the defending ISL champions on a five-year contract until May 2028, stated a media release.
Hailing from the town of Balarampur in Uttar Pradesh, Akash began his footballing journey playing locally and for his school before making the move to the U Dream Football Academy in Germany in 2015 at the age of 14.
Mishra had joined Hyderabad FC in the 2020-21 season and was also a part of their ISL-winning campaign in 2021-22, when they beat Kerala Blasters in the final.
His consistent performances were recognised as he was named the Young Player of the Year by the Football Players’ Association of India in 2022.
A call up to the senior Indian national team was no surprise as Akash made his debut for the Blue Tigers in an international friendly against Oman in March 2021. Now a regular left-back for the country under Igor Stimac, the 21-year-old has 16 international caps to his name.
Considered as one of India’s top footballing talents, Akash joins Mumbai City FC as the Islanders prepare to participate in the 2023-24 AFC Champions League and defend their ISL League Shield.
“I’ve spoken to coach Des (Buckingham) who has shown a lot of faith in me and to be able to play football the way he envisions it, it’s one of the many things that excites me about joining Mumbai City FC,” Mishra was quoted as saying in a media statement.
“Akash possesses a wide range of positive attributes required in the modern game and is an exciting prospect. His signing continues our promise of developing young players and we are pleased he has trusted our club to progress in the next stage of his career,” said Mumbai Cit coach Des Buckingham.
“We’re delighted to welcome Akash to the Mumbai City family. He has consistently been one of the top performers in the league and for the Indian national team over the last two years and we’re confident that he can continue to contribute at the highest level for Mumbai City,” said Kandarp Chandra – CEO, Mumbai City FC.
