New Delhi: Indian women’s national team forward Bala Devi, the first woman from to play professional football in Europe, is an inspiration for numerous budding players across the country.
With the competition having resumed since October, the mercurial forward created history as she scored her first competitive goal for the club on Sunday in a win against Motherwell.
She revealed how she idolizes legendary boxer MC Mary Kom and how the two met and interacted at the Asian Games 2014 in Incheon.
“Mary Kom is a big source of inspiration for me. She came from such humble beginnings and through her hard work, she broke so many records. Even after becoming a mother, she continues to break records and win laurels for the country.
We interacted at the Asian Games in 2014 and watched her train. She is a very friendly person and also supported us during our games,” Bala told AIFF TV about the record six-time World Champion and Olympic bronze medalist.
Earlier this year, in a watershed moment for Indian football, the attacker signed for Scottish side Rangers Women FC and credited the ‘international exposure’ provided by the federation as a key factor as Indian football moves forward together.
“I have represented India a lot. In my mind, I always wanted to play the international level and after the AIFF gave us so many international exposure tours, I gained a lot of experience of playing against European teams and I realized that I can play and compete with them,” quipped Bala.
“Then, I started seeking out teams and eventually chose to sign for Rangers as they are one of the best clubs in the world. I heard a lot about them and they also have a blue jersey like the Indian team,” she smiled.
Bala made her debut for Rangers FC in the Scottish Women’s Premier League in February, before the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a standstill.