BHUBANESWAR: Medals, both gold and silver, and plaques of various sizes dot the small house of Manisa Panna in the state capital. But, behind these shiny medals is the 31-year-old footballer’s story of struggle, grit and success. Hailing from Dandiapali village near Rourkela city, the Indian women’s football team central defender Manisa has fought many odds all her life to represent her country.
Seeing her brother play football, Manisa took to the game at a very young age. However, at the age of 17, she lost her father in 2008 and two years later, her mother passed away. Unable to get over the loss, Manisa decided to give up the sport forever. “It was my grandmother Mangari Kujur and aunt Basanti Kujur who convinced me to play again and became my biggest support system,” said the player who was selected in the National U-19 junior team. Eventually, she got into the senior team in 2015.
A year later, Manisa and her team won the SAFF Women’s Championship in Siliguri, West Bengal. However, her struggles were far from over. She suffered a serious ankle injury while practising at the railway stadium in Bhubaneswar in 2018. As a result, she was out of the ground for six months. When she started recovering, the coronavirus outbreak put all sporting activities on hold. Confined to her room, Manisa put on 5 kg weight which affected her speed and flexibility.
“I used to spend sleepless nights. Although I was employed with East Coast Railways (ECoR) then, I wanted to get back to the national team. It was my coach Suvendu Panda who helped me get on my feet and into the field again,” said the defender.
Also helping her get back into the national football arena were women football coaches Gitanjali Khuntia and Biswajit Pradhan. She was soon chosen to be a part of the Indian team to play at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup. However, the Indian team had to withdraw from the championship due to Covid-19. She has joined her home team ECoR as captain and playing in Odisha Women’s League now. Manisa is also preparing for the All India Football Federation (AIFF) tour to European nations and the inter-state national senior women’s football championship to be held this year.