Indian women's football team star forward Manisha Kalyan joins Greek outfit AEK Athens

Kalyan turns to Greece after her PAOK stint, hoping to win top Greek honours with Athens

The 24-year-old Indian women’s football star forward Manisha Kalyan from Hoshiarpur, Punjab, is regarded as one of the brightest talents in Indian football. At such a young age, she has broken numerous records and is nothing less than an inspiration for young budding girls who dare to dream and don the national team jersey.

Kalyan became the first-ever Indian footballer to play and score in the UEFA Women’s Champions League while representing Cypriot outfit Apollon Ladies FC.

She played a crucial role in helping India qualify for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 in Australia and also scored one of the best goals of the tournament against Chinese Taipei in the final group stage encounter.

She is a two time IWL winner with Gokulam Kerala and has won the SAFF Women’s Championship and the South Asian Games with the Indian national women’s team.

India’s pride Manisha is all now set to embark on a new journey to Europe with Greek outfit AEK Athens. In this article, we find out more about her new club and why this is a very positive development for Indian women’s football.

AEK Athens won the Greek top flight in 2024-25 season

Kalyan previously played for the most decorated club in the history of Greek women’s club football, PAOK, where she made 23 appearances and scored 8 goals and gave 5 assists.

The Thessaloniki-based outfit finished fifth in the league and reached the semi-finals of the Greek Cup.

AEK Athens hails from the capital city of Athens and is one of the most rapidly growing clubs in Greece and Europe. They recently won the Greek top flight in the 2024-25 season and Greek Women’s Cup Titles in 2025, completing a domestic double last year.

Athens finished second last season behind PAOK and missed out on securing a continental berth this season. Kalyan will be keen to bring Champions League football back to Agioi Anargyroi Stadium.

What can we expect from Kalyan in AEK Athens?

The Punjab-born striker can expect fast-paced football from Athens under coach Stelios Kozanidis, who is a former footballer. Drawing inspiration from his playing days, Kozanidis enforces a highly disciplined approach to the game and relies on possession based football.

Kalyan is deployed generally as a dynamic forward, and the former Rethymniaki Enosi Athliton gaffer will likely rely on her versatility and past European experience to break down low-block defences.

Manisha has a lot of experience playing in Greece during her PAOK days and has featured in several high-stakes games, and knows how to calm her nerves.

She will share the dressing room with some big Greek names in women’s football. Alongside there are diverse players like Mallory McGuire of the USA, Ava Piazza of Australia and Antri Violari of Cyprus.

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