Manipur’s Bala Devi Inks Deal with Scottish Club, to Become First Indian Woman to Play Professional Football

Guwahati, January 30, 2020:

Manipur’s Bala Devi has become the first Indian woman football player to be signed to play professional football after inking a deal with the 'Scottish Club Rangers FC'.

The announcement of Bala Devi was made on Wednesday. She will join the club on an 18-month deal after a successful spell on trial at Rangers in November this year. This implies, Bala will become the first Indian woman to become a professional footballer anywhere in the world and she will also become Rangers’ first Asian international footballer.

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The 29-year-old footballer from Manipur is the current top scorer for the Indian national women’s team, netting an impressive 52 times in 58 games since 2010 making her the top international goal scorer in the South Asian region.

Bala started her football career at the age of fifteen and also served as a national team captain in a distinguished international career.

She has a prolific record at the domestic level with over 100 goals in 120 games. She has also been named as All India Football Federation (AIFF) Women's Player of the Year twice, in 2015 and 2016.

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