Trailblazing 22-year-old Indian women’s national football team forward Manisha Kalyan takes the next big step in her career as she signed to Greek side PAOK, leaving behind Cypriot side Apollon Ladies on Monday.
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The young forward, who became the first Indian player (male or female) to ever play in the UEFA Champions League, made the cut for India in 2019, at the age of 17 as a seemingly generational talent.
Soon after in 2022, she signed for Apollon Ladies after playing for three Indian clubs, including Gokulam Kerala, with whom she won the top-tier Indian Women’s League twice.
Known for her speed and ability to adapt to several positions, Kalyan has been recognised as one of the best Indian players in recent times.
The All India Football Federation named her the Women’s Player of the Year in 2021-22 and 2022-23 and she was also part of the India team that won gold at the South Asian Games in 2019.
Kalyan shot to fame in 2021 after she became the first Indian to score a goal against Brazil in a friendly match, which India lost 6-1.
She had also scored a hattrick in India’s 18-0 demolishment of arch-rivals Pakistan in the 2019 AFC U19 Women’s Championship qualifiers.
(with agency inputs)
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