Manisha Kalyan, a teenage striker for Apollon Ladies FC in the European Club tournament in
Engomi, Cyprus, made history as the first Indian footballer to participate in the UEFA Women's
Champions League, making India proud, according to news agency PTI.

At the Makario Stadium on Thursday, Kalyan took Merilena Georgiou's place in the 60th minute
as Apollon Ladies FC defeated Latvian first division team SFK Riga 3-0 in their UWCL debut.
She is now the fourth Indian female footballer to sign with an international team.

An Indian football player praised Manisha Kalyan for her accomplishments on his official Twitter
account after this momentous event. "Waiting for updates as Manisha Kalyan makes history by
becoming the first Indian football player to participate in a Champions League match. What a
heroic act, and what a time. More has to be said about what she did and went after, "He
composed."

In the Indian Women's League, she has displayed remarkable achievements for both Gokulam
Kerala and the national squad (IWL). She has received the AIFF Woman Footballer of the Year
title for the 2021–22 season, according to sources from PTI. Manisha Kalyan, then 20 years old,
gained notoriety when she scored at Brazil's own stadium against the past World Cup
runners-up.

The 20-year-old made history in November 2021 when she scored the first goal ever by an
Indian football player in the AFC Women's Club Championship. She follows Dangmei Grace,
who signed with FC Nasaf in Uzbekistan, as the second player from Gokulam in Kerala to sign
with an international team.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) was recently suspended by the International Federation
of Association Football (FIFA) due to "flagrant breaches of the FIFA Statutes." India's
participation in football has been severely hampered after the U-17 Women's International Cup
"cannot now be hosted in India as planned," according to the world football governing authority,
which also suspended India for "disproportionate pressure from third parties."

(Image Credits: Manishakalyan)