Lallianzuala Chhangte, Manisha Kalyan big winners as AIFF announce 2022-23 awards

The AIFF will hand over the prizes to the recipients soon.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) have announced the winners of their yearly awards for the 2022-23 season. This comes after the campaign officially ended across all levels in June, allowing them to crown the best players in both the Men’s and Women’s category.

Chhangte, Kalyan win big in AIFF awards

The Federation has announced Lallianzuala Chhangte as the winner of their Men’s Senior Player of the Year award for the 22-23 season. This comes after the Mumbai City forward enjoyed a prolific season for both club and country.

He scored 18 goals and provided nine assists in 32 appearances across all competitions for the Islanders last season. This included 16 goal contributions (10 goals, six assists) in the Indian Super League, helping his side clinch the league championship.

Chhangte has also been prolific for the Indian national team too. He scored two goals and provided an assist in the Hero International Cup, winning the Man of the Match award in the final against Lebanon too. This is the first time that the winger has won this award and his second individual trophy after also winning the FPAI (Footballer Players Association of India) Indian Player of the Year award earlier this year.

Meanwhile, on the Women’s side, Manisha Kalyan has been awarded the Women’s Senior Player of the Year crown. This comes after she earned a historic move to Cyprus club Apollon last year, even playing in the UEFA Women’s Champions League with them last season.

Manisha scored six goals in 17 league appearances for Apollon, helping them win the Cypriot First Division title along with the Cypriot Womens’ Cup title.

Who won the Emerging Player Awards?

Alongside the two major winners, the AIFF also announced their Emerging Player of the Year awards. New Mumbai City signing Akash Mishra won the Men’s Emerging Player of the Year trophy for his impressive campaign with Hyderabad FC and the Indian national team.

Mishra was arguably the most consistent full-back in the ISL last season, helping his side finish second in the league stages. He has also been a mainstay for Igor Stimac’s side and helped India keep three clean sheets in the Hero International Cup.

The AIFF announced Shilji Shaji as the winner of the Women’s Emerging Player of the Year for an amazing campaign. The 16-year-old excelled for the U-17 Indian Women’s National team, scoring 16 goals in six appearances and being the top-scorer of the 2023 SAFF U-17 Women’s Championship too.

Who are the Coaches’ celebrated in the AIFF awards?

Clifford Miranda was also celebrated in the AIFF awards show, being awarded the Men’s Coach of the Year. This comes as a result of the former India international winning the Hero Super Cup last season with Odisha FC.

Miranda helped Odisha FC win their first-ever trophy, becoming the first-ever Indian manager to do so. He’s been awarded for that and is also tipped to take over the India U-23 national team.

Alongside Clifford, the AIFF also awarded the Women’s Coach of the Year award to Priya PV. This comes after her heroics with the Indian U-17 Women’s Team and helping them dominate in the 2022-23 season, producing an admirable effort in the SAFF U-17 Championship.

Priya has also been doing an admirable job as the assistant coach of the Indian Women’s national team and earning plaudits for her impressive coaching ability after transitioning as a player. The AIFF are expected to deliver these awards to the winners soon.