Biography of Manisha Kalyan
Manisha Kalyan is a famous football player. She was born in Hoshiarpur, India on November 22, 2001 She became the first Indian footballer to play in the UEFA Champions League. The 2021-22 AIFF Player of the Year entered the record books when she made her debut for Cypriot club Apollon Ladies FC against Latvia’s SFK Riga in Engomi, Cyprus.
Carrer of Manisha Kalyan
Manisha Kalyan arrived at the national park for the first time in 2019 after an amazing season of India Women’s Championship 2019-2020. The midfielder who played for Gokulam Kerala FC WAS named the emerging player of the tournament and led her team to the first Indian Women’s League (IWL) title.
Manisha Kalyan has become Gokulam Kerala FC’s second woman to go abroad after striker Dangmei Grace has signed for FC Nasaf of Uzbekistan.
He previously captained the Indian U-17 team at the BRICS Cup in South Africa and was named the AIFF Emerging Player of the Year 2020-21. She has represented teams like BBK DAV Football Club, Paldi Football Academy, Kenkre FC, Sethu Madurai and Doaba Sporting Club.
The Punjab player made history by becoming the first Indian to score a goal against Brazil in an international football match. Despite Kalyan’s goal, Brazil defeated the Indian women’s team 6-1. Manish promoted the IWL 2022 edition by scoring 14 goals and providing 7 assists. Manisha has opened her account for Apollon Ladies FC after scoring a goal in their team’s 4-0 win over Omonia FC in a friendly match.
Turning point
Manisha Kalyan developed an interest in sports after seeing boys of her age playing sports and especially after the intervention of her school coach Brahm. In an interview with BUT, Kalyan revealed that he switched to sports at a young age.
“I have been playing football since I was 13 years old. At school, I started playing sports, but one day my coach Brahmji-sir asked me to try playing football. I liked the team that was put into the game and fell in love immediately,” he told AIFF in an interview.
National team age and international debut at 17
Manisha, who was quickly included in the Indian U17 and U19 teams, made a strong impact in the peer competition. Qualifying for the 2019 AFC U19 Women’s Championship was a turning point for her. He put in an impressive performance, scoring a hat-trick in India’s 18-0 win over Pakistan before playing a key role in India’s 1-0 win over Thailand.
Manisha Kalyan soon made her national debut against Hong Kong in January 2019 at the age of 17. She was part of the Indian team in the SAFF 2019 tournament held in Nepal in March. Kalyan was the youngest player in the team and scored one goal in the tournament.
She is the first Indian footballer to play in the Women’s Cup
Manisha Kalyan, 20, has become the first Indian footballer to play in the UEFA Women’s Champions League after making her debut for Apollon Ladies FC in the first European club competition in Cyprus. The former Gokulam Kerala footballer struck a chord when he came on as a substitute for Cyprus’
Marilena Georgiou in the 60th minute of their Champions League match against Latvian top flight club SFK Rga on Thursday August 19. Manisha Kalyan’s UCL debut was a memorable one for Apollon Women who beat SFK Riga 3-0 at the Makareio Stadium.
Notably, Manisha is the fourth Indian footballer to sign with an overseas club after securing a multi-year contract with Cypriot Premier Division winners Apollon Ladies. Kalyan has produced impressive performances for the national team as well as Gokulam Kerala in the Indian Women’s League (IWL).
She was recently awarded the AIFF Women’s Footballer of the Year for the 2021-22 season. Kalyan shot to fame last year when he beat the world number one runners-up Brazil at their home ground in an international friendly.
