Manisha Kalyan becomes 1st Indian to play in UEFA Women's Champions League

20-year-old Manisha Kalyan became the first Indian footballer to play in UEFA Women's Champions League after she made her debut for Apollon Ladies FC in the premier European Club competition in Cyprus. The former Gokulam Kerala forward achieved the landmark when she replaced 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 memorable for Apollon Ladies as



they defeated SFK Riga 3-0 at the Makareio Stadium.

Notably, Manisha is the 4th Indian female footballer to sign for an overseas club when she landed a multi-year contract with Cypriot top division winners Apollon Ladies.

Kalyan had produced impressive performances for the national team and 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.