Manisha Kalyan

Manisha Kalyan (born 27 November 2001) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a forward for the Greek A Division club AEK Athens and the India women's national team. She won the 2020–21 AIFF Women's Emerging Footballer of the Year and the 2022–23 AIFF Women's Player of the Year awards. She is the first Indian footballer to play in the UEFA Women's Champions League.

Early life Manisha was born in Muggowal, located in the district of Horshiarpur, Punjab. She studied in Sant Attar Singh Khalsa Senior Secondary School and graduated from Mehr Chand Mahajan DAV College for Women. She started playing football at the age of 13. Despite facing adversity, her family being unable to afford to buy her sports shoes, being forced to walk 15 kilometres to find a girls' team to play with, and being subjected to sexist abuse, Kalyan managed to impress coah Brahmjit Singh with her footballing abilities. Kalyan was nicknamed Dinho in her youth, a nod to Brazil legend Ronaldinho. She played a pivotal role in Gokulam's success in the 2019–20 IWL campaign. She scored 2 goals against the Kenkre FC, where her side won 1–10, she also scored a goal in their semi-finals against Sethu FC. She scored 3 goals in the tournament and was chosen as the emerging player of the tournament.

In 2021, she became the first women player from India to score in a top-flight Asian competition, when she scored in the 2021 AFC Women's Club Championship match against FC Bunyodkor, the Women's Team of Uzbekistan on 14 November, which they won 3–1 at full-time.

Apollon Ladies On 3 July 2022, it was officially announced that Kalyan signed a contract with Limassol based Cypriot First Division club Apollon Ladies. She made her debut for the club on 18 August, coming on as a 60th-minute substitute in a 3–0 win against Rīgas FS at the UEFA Women's Champions League qualifying round.

On 2 October 2022, she scored her first goal for the club against Aris Limassol in a Cypriot First Division match. When Apollon Limassol won the 2022–23 Cypriot Women's League, she became the first Indian woman to win a European Championship. She was included in the 2022–23 Pancyprian Footballers Association (PASP) women's team of the season. She made 23 appearances and scored 8 goals and also provided 5 assists as PAOK finished 5th in the league and reached the semifinals of the Greek Cup.

International career Manisha was selected for the India Under-17 National Squad to play the 2018 BRICS U-17 Football Cup which was held in South Africa. She scored a goal against China Under-17, however, her side ended up losing 2–1. Manisha was then promoted to the India Under-19 National Team. She received public attention when she delivered a memorable performance in India's inspiring win over Thailand in the AFC U-19 Women's Championship Qualifiers. She scored a hat-trick in the same tournament against Pakistan which resulted in the victory of the India side with a big margin of 18–0. Manisha got her senior team call-up for the match against Hong Kong in January 2019 at the age of 17.

Kalyan made her national team debut against Indonesia in January 2019, while she maiden goal against Bangladesh in the 2019 SAFF Women's Championship. She scored her third goal against UAE on 2 October 2021 as India won the match with a score of 4–1.

With India, Kalyan went to Brazil for the 2021 International Women's Football Tournament of Manaus. On 26 November 2021, she created history after scoring a goal against Brazil in their 6–1 defeat at the 2021 International Women's Football Tournament of Manaus. In February 2024, she appeared with India at the 2024 Turkish Women's Cup, in which they ended the campaign as runners-up.

During India's final 2026 AFC Asian Cup group stage fixture against Chinese Taipei, Kalyan scored a "thundering" free-kick from 30 yards, with the ball crossing the line after bouncing off the underside of the crossbar. Despite her goal, India lost 1-3 and was eliminated from the tournament.

Style of play Manisha is an attacking midfielder and is known for her both creativity and her physicality. She is a versatile player who can attack and operate in the wings and even performs as a number 9. Primarily she plays as a left winger and sometimes as a left back.

Personal life She is the younger daughter of Narinder Pal, a businessman and Rajkumari Pal, a homemaker.

In an interview with Goal, Manisha revealed that she is a supporter of Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo.

Career statistics Club

International

Scores and results list India's goal tally first. +List of international goals scored by Manisha Kalyan No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref 1. 20 March 2019 Sahid Rangsala, Biratnagar, Nepal 4–0 4–0 2019 SAFF Women's Championship 2. 3 December 2019 Pokhara Rangasala, Pokhara, Nepal 4–0 5–0 2019 South Asian Games 3. 23 February 2021 Gold City Sports Complex, Kargıcak, Turkey 2–0 2–3 2021 Turkish Women's Cup 4. 2 October 2021 Theyab Awana Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates 1–0 4–1 Friendly 5. 10 October 2021 Hamad Town Stadium, Hamad Town, Bahrain 5–0 5–0 Friendly 6. 25 November 2021 Arena da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil 1–1 1–6 Int. Football Tournament of Manaus 7. 8 April 2022 Prince Mohammed Stadium, Zarqa, Jordan 1–0 1–0 Friendly 8. 21 February 2024 Gold City Sports Complex, Alanya, Turkey 1–0 4–3 2024 Turkish Women's Cup 9. 4–1 10. 17 October 2024 Dasharath Rangasala, Kathmandu, Nepal 2–0 5–2 2024 SAFF Women's Championship 11. 20 February 2025 Al Hamriya Sports Club Stadium, Al Hamriyah, United Arab Emirates 2–0 2–0 2025 Pink Ladies Cup 12. 29 June 2025 700th Anniversary Stadium, Chiang Mai, Thailand 1–0 4–0 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualification 13. 3–0 14. 2 July 2025 2–0 5–0 15. 10 March 2026 Western Sydney Stadium, Sydney, Australia 1–1 1–3 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup

Honours India SAFF Women's Championship: 2019, 2026 South Asian Games Gold medal: 2019

Gokulam Kerala Indian Women's League: 2019–20, 2021–22

Apollon Cypriot First Division: 2022–23, 2023–24 Cypriot Women's Cup: 2022–23 Cypriot Women's Super Cup: 2023

Individual Indian Women's League Hero of the League: 2021–22 Indian Women's League Emerging Player: 2019–20 AIFF Women's Player of the Year: 2021–22, 2022–23 AIFF Women's Emerging Footballer of the Year: 2020–21 PASP Best 11 Women Awards: 2022–23 The Times of India TOISA Footballer of the Year: 2021 Turkish Women's Cup Best Midfielder: 2024