Ashalata Devi Makes History: First Indian Woman Footballer With 100 Int'l Matches

Ashalata Devi is poised to attain a historic career milestone when she steps onto the field at the Dasarath Stadium in Kathmandu on October 17, becoming the first Indian footballer to play 100 international matches. Devi will achieve the centurion when she plays against Pakistan for India’s opening match of the SAFF Women’s Championships 2024.

The 31-year-old Manipuri made her India debut in the pre-Olympics tournament in Dhaka against Bangladesh in March 2011, and the star defender has come a long way since then. "When she pulled on an Indian shirt for the first time in the pre-Olympics in Dhaka against Bangladesh in March 2011, few would have imagined that Ashalata Devi would take Indian women's football by storm in quite the way she has," the All India Football Federation (AIFF) said while praising Devi.

Devi: We won against Pakistan but won't take them lightly

Devi said the first game always sets the tone, and a strong start will help them play freely in the following matches. The last time the two teams clashed, India had emerged a 3-0 winner.“It’s always exciting to face a team like Pakistan. We have a lot of respect for them. They have grown as a unit. Last time, we won against them, but we are not taking them lightly. They are motivated, prepared well and will surely put up a good fight,” added Devi.

Born in Imphal, Manipur, on July 3, 1993, Ashalata was 13 years old when she took up the sport after she was captivated by boys playing football in her school.

“I always saw boys playing but never watched a match of girls playing. I requested a teacher from school that I also want to play. He said that you can't play alone, you need a team,” Ashalata had revealed.

Moreover, Devi was called up for the India U-17 team in 2008 when she was 15 years of age. The exceptional player was born in Imphal and began playing football at the age of 13. She was initially with the Indian Railways football team and joined the New Radiant Women's Football Club of Maldives in 2015.

Devi's unstoppable journey to success

Later, she played for Rising Student Club (Cuttack), KRYPHSA (Imphal), Sethu (Madurai) and Gokulam Kerala in the Indian Women's League. She is currently with East Bengal. "I am looking forward to all the matches in the championship because it is an extremely important tournament to us. We already suffered a setback in the last SAFF, but it will be different this time," she said in an AIFF release.

In the 2022 edition, India considered an overwhelming favourite, failed to defend the title. "This is the sixth time I will play in SAFF. We were champions four times. I want to win this year's title for us because it's a special championship for me. We are determined to prove ourselves," she said.

Devi was also a part of the Indian team that won two South Asian Games gold medals in 2016 and 2019. She was also part of the team that won the SAFF Women's Championship four times consecutively in 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2019.

Corresponding to this, she was one of the nominees for the AFC Women's Player of the Year in 2019 and was named the AIFF Women's Player of the Year for 2018-19.