Grace Dangmei draws curtain on her international football career; leaves behind legacy etched in Indian football history

Grace Dangmei is the second-most-capped player in Indian women’s football history

Just after winning her third SAFF Women’s Championship title with the Indian women’s national team, the 30-year-old legendary footballing icon from Manipur, Grace Dangmei, officially announced her retirement from international football.

From humble beginnings in Dimdailong, a small village in Manipur, to becoming one of the most recognisable faces in Indian women’s football, Dangmei’s story is nothing less than inspirational as she carried a billion hopes on her shoulders for over a decade.

She retires as one of the second-most-capped players in Indian women’s football history, amassing a total of 96 games across 13 years.

She also happens to be the fourth all-time highest goalscorer for the Indian Women’s Football Team after Bala Devi, Sasmita Mallik and Kamala Devi, having scored 24 times for the Blue Tigresses.

In this article, we take a closer look at Grace Dangmei’s journey in a nutshell and find out why her story shall continue to inspire young girls who dare to dream big, wear the national flag on their chest, and wear the Blue Tigresses jersey.

Taking a glance at Dangmei’s illustrious international career

Grace played a crucial role in establishing India as one of the major powerhouses in Asian football. She won the SAFF Women’s Championship three times, in 2016 and 2019, and won it again in 2026 after a long wait of seven years on home soil.

In the 2016 South Asian Games, she scored a brace against Sri Lanka and was part of the team that won the gold medal. She repeated her heroics in 2019 after scoring against the Maldives and Sri Lanka and helping India win back-to-back gold.

She represented India in numerous international and continental tournaments like Olympic qualifiers, international friendlies and Asian Games competitions.

Her longevity across different coaches, tactical systems and generations of players was exceptional.

Why was Grace Dangmei so important for India?

Grace donned the national team jersey for over a decade. From sharing the dressing room with veterans such as Bala Devi and Bembem Devi to nurturing the next generation of players like Sangita Basfore, Manisha Kalyan and Soumya Guguloth, her career connected different era of Indian football.

Her move to Uzbekistan and winning a double there changed perceptions about the quality and potential of Indian women’s footballers on top continental stages.

One of the ambassadors for women’s football in Northeast India, Grace led the national team at a time when there was not much recognition and spotlight.

Grace Dangmei’s name will forever be etched in golden letters in the history of Indian women’s football, and she will always be remembered as one of the architects who helped shape the modern era of the Blue Tigresses.

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