Manisha Kalyan is the first player from India to compete in the UEFA Women's Champions League

By: WE Staff | Saturday, 20 August 2022

When Manisha Kalyan, a young striker for Apollon Ladies FC, made her debut in the European Club competition in Engomi, Cyprus, she became the first Indian player to compete in the UEFA Women's Champions League.

At the Makareio Stadium, Marilena Georgiou of Cyprus was replaced by Kalyan in the 60th minute as Apollon Ladies FC defeated Latvian first division team SFK Riga 3-0 in their UWCL debut on Thursday.

When the 20-year-old signed a multi-year contract with Cypriot first division champion Apollon Ladies, she became the fourth Indian female football player to play for an abroad team.

For the national team and Gokulam Kerala in the Indian Women's League, Kalyan put on spectacular displays. She was recently named the 2021–22 AIFF Woman Footballer of the Year.

Kalyan gained notoriety last year when she scored in a friendly match against past World Cup runners-up Brazil inside their home stadium. After Dangmei Grace joined FC Nasaf of Uzbekistan, Kalyan is the second player from Gokulam, Kerala, to sign with an international team. On August 21, Apollon Ladies will play FC Zurich Frauen. She was recently named the 2021–22 AIFF Woman Footballer of the Year.

Kalyan gained notoriety last year when she scored in a friendly match against past World Cup runners-up Brazil inside their home stadium. After Dangmei Grace joined FC Nasaf of Uzbekistan, Kalyan is the second player from Gokulam, Kerala, to sign with an international team. On August 21, Apollon Ladies will play FC Zurich Frauen.

Indian midfielder Manisha Kalyan competes for both the India women's national team and Cypriot First Division club Apollon. She received the Women's Emerging Footballer of the Year award from the 2020–21 AIFF.

Manisha was chosen to compete at the 2018 BRICS U-17 Football Cup, which was held in South Africa, as a member of the India Under-17 National Squad. They lost 2-1 to China Under-17 after she scored a goal for them. Later on, Manisha was elevated to the India Under-19 National Team. When she gave a standout performance in India's inspirational victory against Thailand in the AFC U-19 Women's Championship Qualifiers, she caught the public's attention.

In the same competition, she had defeated Pakistan with a hat-trick of goals, giving India a commanding 18-0 victory. At the age of 17, Manisha received a call-up to the senior team for the match against Hong Kong in January 2019. On October 2, 2021, she opened the score sheet for India's 4-1 victory over UAE by scoring her senior debut goal.

Kalyan travelled to Brazil with India in order to compete in the Manaus 2021 International Women's Football Tournament. She made history on November 26, 2021, when she scored a goal against Brazil in their 6-1 loss at the Manaus 2021 International Women's Football Tournament.