Manisha Kalyan is set to become the first Indian to play in the UEFA Women’s Champions League when she signed with Cyprus champions Apollon Ladies.

The development was tweeted by Kalyan’s now-former club Gokulam Kerala on Sunday. “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,” the club posted on Twitter.

Apollon will be playing in round 1 of the UEFA Women’s Champions League qualifying on 18 August. If they win, they will face the winners of Switzerland’s FC Zurich and Faroe Islands Klaksvik Kvinnur.

Back in November last year, the 20-year-old had scored India’s first-ever goal against Brazil in senior football. It was history for the teenager, even if India lost the match 1-6 against the 2007 World Cup runners-up.

Manisha made her senior team debut against Hong Kong in January 2019, but the turning point in her career came when she was named to the Indian U-17 team that participated in the BRICS Football Cup in South Africa in 2018.

In the 2019-20 season, she played a key role in Gokulam Kerala winning the Indian Women’s League (IWL) title. She was named the emerging player of the tournament.

Manisha has dribbled past prejudice and financial difficulties to reach her goal of playing for the national football team, her dream is to represent her country in the World Cup one day.