Manisha Kalyan signs for Apollon Ladies, set to become 1st Indian to play in Women's Champions League
Manisha Kalyan is set to become the first Indian to play in Women's Champions League.
Indian women's team star Manisha Kalyan has signed for Cyprus club Apollon Ladies and is set to become the first from the country to feature in the prestigious UEFA Women's Champions League. The talented young forward will leave Indian club Gokulam Kerala after spending three years and winning two Indian Women's League titles with them. The 20-year-old has signed a two-year deal with Apollon Ladies, who are the reigning champions of theCypriot First Division.
Kalyan made his debut for the senior Indian women's team against Hong Kong in 2019 and has since cemented her spot in the side. She joined Gokulam Kerala in 2018 and helped the club win back-to-back Indian Women's League titles in 2019-20 and 2021-22 scoring an impressive 21 goals for the club in 24 appearances.
“Thank you, Manisha! After 3 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,” Gokulam Kerala said in a tweet, confirming the move.
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Apollon will take on the Latvian side Riga FS in the first round of the UEFA Women's Champions League on August 18 and will be up against the winner of the clash between Switzerland's FC Zurich andKlaksvik Kvinnur in their next game. If Kalyan manages to make the cut in the playing XI, she will script history by becoming the first Indian to feature in the prestigious competition.
Who is Manisha Kalyan?
Kalyan is a prolific left-winger, who is technically gifted and has pace in her game. She was instrumental in helping Gokulam Kerala win back-to-back Indian Women's League titles. She hails fromHoshiarpur, Punjab and has so far scored 40 goals overall in 51 matches for both club and country.
She was named AIFF's Emerging player of the year in 2020-21 and was the first Indian to score against Brazil when the women's team faced the footballing giants back in November 2021. India had suffered a 6-1 defeat in the game but Kalyan created a piece of history by scoring against Brazil.