| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 25 April 1969 | ||
| Place of birth | Thrissur, India | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1987–1991 | Kerala Police | ||
| 1991–1992 | Mohan Bagan A.C. | ||
| 1992–1993 | Kerala Police | ||
| 1993–1994 | Mohan Bagan A.C. | ||
| 1994–1997 | JCT Mills Phagwara | ||
| 1997–1998 | FC Kochin | ||
| 1998–1999 | Mohan Bagan A.C. | ||
| 1999–2001 | FC Kochin | ||
| 2001–2002 | East Bengal Club | 6 | (1) |
| 2002–2004 | JCT Mills Phagwara | 34 | (10) |
| 2004–2005 | Churchill Brothers SC | ||
| 2005–2006 | East Bengal Club | ||
| National team | |||
| 1989–2004 | India | 79 | (40) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
|||
Inivalappil Mani Vijayan (Malayalam: അയിനിവളപ്പില് മണി വിജയന്) (born 25 April 1969) is one of the leading Indian football players of modern times. Playing in the striker position, he formed a successful attacking partnership with Baichung Bhutia for the Indian national team in the late nineties and early 2000's. Vijayan was crowned Indian Player of the Year in 1993, 1997 and 1999[1], the first player to win the award multiple times.[2] He was also awarded the Arjuna award in 2003.[3]
Vijayan started out as a seller of soda bottles in the Trichur Municipal Stadium, Kerala earning 10 paise (0.02 Cents) a bottle. Eventually he was chosen to play for the Kerala Police club and rose to become one of the top names in domestic football. A highly aggressive player, he eventually became the highest earner in Indian club football as well as a regular in the India team. He scored one of the fastest ever international goals in a match against Bhutan in the 1999 SAF Games, when he managed to do the same in 12 seconds.[4] Faster international goals on record include ones by Davide Gualtieri in 8 seconds and Hakan Şükür in 11 seconds. Vijayan's talents attracted interest from clubs in Malaysia and Thailand, although he spent his entire career in India until retirement. By the end of his career he had scored 40 international goals in 79 matches for India.[5] Since retiring Vijayan has set up a football academy to train young players in his home town.
Contents |
Vijayan was born in a back ward Pulaya community on 25th of April 1969 at Thrissur, Kerala. He began his life in a gravely poor environment, and had to sell soda bottles in the Thrissur Municipal Stadium for helping his family. He had a passion for the game of football, and somehow caught the eye of the then DGP of Kerala, M.K. Joseph who got him selected for the Kerala Police football club at the age of 17 years. Vijayan delivered brilliant performance for Kerala Police at Quilon Nationals 1987, and was able to impress the national football fraternity very soon with his impeccable skills and highly aggressive style of playing. He continued to play for Kerala Police until the year 1991, when he switched to Mohun Bagan He came back to Kerala Police in 1992 and the next year switched back to Mohun Bagan. The very next year in 1994 he joined JCT Mills Fagwara, and stayed with them for 3 years till 1997, when he left JCT to join FC Kochin. After spending a one year tenure with the club, he again moved to Mohun Bagan in 1998 and came back to FC Kochin in 1999.
Vijayan left FC Cochin in 2001 and joined East Bengal Club, which he left in 2002 to join JCT Mills Phagwara once again. After finishing a two year stint with the club, he left JCT in 2004 and joined Churchill Brothers S.C. He left the club after one year and moved to East Bengal Club in 2005, which was his last professional football club as an active football player. He left East Bengal in the year 2006.
I.M. Vijayan made his debut in international football in the year 1989 and played in a number of tournaments such as Nehru Cup, pre-Olympics, pre-World Cup, SAAF Cup and SAF Games. Vijayan and Baichung Bhutia formed one of the deadliest forward lines the Indian Football team had ever seen, and helped the team score various vital goals in international tournaments. Vijayan was part of the victorious Indian team in the 1999 South Asian Football Federation Cup and scored one of the fastest international goals in history during the tournament, hitting the net against Bhutan after only 12 seconds.[4] He also finished top scorer in the Afro-Asian Games event held in India in 2003 with four goals. Vijayan formally retired from international football after the Afro-Asian Games of 2003.[1]
The unmatching rags to riches story of Vijayan translated into celluloid in 1999. The film, Kalo Harin, was directed by Cherian Joseph. Other members of the team: A. N. Raveendra Das, N. P. Chandrasekharan (Script), N. P. Chandrasekharan (Lyrics), K. Raghavan Master (Music) and P. J. Cherian (Cinimatography). The title of the film which means blackbuck is a reference to Vijayan's popular nickname during his playing days in Kolkata.[6] This film finds the life of Vijayan as the struggle for existence and expression by a poor Dalit in modern India. This film won the National Award and the John Abraham Award in 1999. It also attracted mass appeal in Kerala, the home state of Vijayan at that time. Even though a short non feature film, it was exhibited in local theaters through ticket selling. That was a new episode in the history of Malayalam Film Industry. And, the songs of this film, with their folk touch and Dalit vigour, also became hits then.
The songs of Kalo Harin, with their folk touch and Dalit vigour, also became hits then. The songs penned by N. P. Chandrasekharan were set in the manner of songs of Vattakkali and Tholukali the traditional dance forms followed by the families of Kolothumpadam, the native place of Vijayan. The music scored by K. Raghavan, the legend of the music field of Malayalam gave them real folk attire. An audio album including these songs became popular at that time.
Some lines from the songs with translation:
I. Aaraaru paadum Vijayante thottam Aaraaru kelkkumaa veerutta thottam Kannam karutha kili pennival paadum Poomi Malayalam poothyode kelkkum. (Who'll sing Vijayan's lore Who'll hear the tale of valour The damsel with dark cheek'll sing The world of Malayalam'll hear it with pride)
II. Vijayan panthaadumbo kali valappilu Irupathettuchaalu kaattoothum Avanu kaavalu Padamadakki Vilipporathundu Padaveeran (As Vijayan plays the wind will turn The destroyer of aggressors is his guardian. At his beck and call is the God of war.)
Vijayan acted as the leading character in internationally acclaimed Indian film "Shantham" (Peace) which won the national award for best film, playing a young man who kills his friend and then is tormented by remorse.His second movie is along with Kalabhavan Mani in Akashathile paravakal, in which he played a negative role. He is currently building a reputation for his character roles in Malayalam movies. He has also acted in some Tamil films, Thimiru being one.
After retirement from active football, Vijayan concentrated his attention upon his Football School that he had opened in Thrissur. In 2010 Vijayan formally took over a coaching job with Southern Samity, a premier division side in the Calcutta Football League.[6]
He was also a member of the now defunct National Congress (Indira).[7]