Manisha Kalyan: A look at the youngster who is set to become the first Indian to play in the Champions League
India women football star, Manisha Kalyan recently signed a two-year deal with Cyprus champions, Apollon Ladies and is set to create history by becoming the first player from the country to to play in the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
Apollon will be playing Latvia's Riga FS in round 1 of the UEFA Women's Champions League qualifying match which is set to take place on 18 August. If they win the match, Apollon will face the winners of Switzerland's FC Zurich and Faroe Island's Klaksvik Kvinnur.
Who is Manisha Kalyan?
Manisha Kalyan is a 20-year-old footballer who hails from Horshiarpur, Punjab with the youngster starting her career with Sethu FC - who are based in Madurai, Tamil Nadu and compete in the Indian Women's League (IWL).
Thank you, Manisha!
— Gokulam Kerala FC (@GokulamKeralaFC) July 3, 2022
After 3️⃣ illustrious years as a Malabarian and winning two IWL titles with us, Manisha has signed a two-year deal with Cypriot Champion Club Apollon Ladies 🔥
She is all set to become the first Indian to play in the UEFA Women's Champions League this season. pic.twitter.com/yLOuEiIsok
Rise at Gokulam Kerala FC
Kalyan signed for Gokulam Kerala FC in 2018 and it was here that she displayed her talents, playing a key role in their success in the 2019/20 IWL campaign. The striker/attacking midfielder scored three goals that season to win the Emerging Player of the Year award.
The player from Punjab also made history by becoming the first Indian to score in a continental club competition i.e the AFC women's Asian championship.
The 20-year-old also created history with the India national side after she scored against Brazil in India's 6-1 loss to them in an international friendly in 2021, becoming the first Indian player to score against the Selecao.
Manisha Kalyan-
— VOIF (@VoiceofIndianF1) July 4, 2022
"In my village, I used to be the only girl playing football with boys. The villagers had a big problems with that. They complained to my parents that no one would agree to marry me if I kept playing with boys. I had to hear taunts whenever I went outside."
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Kalyan spent four seasons with Gokulam Kerala, scoring a staggering 22 goals in just 24 appearances for the Kerala-based outfit.
Fan of Messi
The youngster in an interview admitted that she is a big fan of record seven-time Ballon d'Or award winner, Lionel Messi and follows his brilliance on the pitch.
Honours won
1) 2019 SAFF Women's Championship
2) Gold Medal at South Asian Games.
3) 2 Indian Women's League titles.
4) 2020/21 AIFF's Women's Emerging Footballer of the Year.