I.M.Vijayan

Inivalappil Mani Vijayan is one of the leading Indian football players of the modern times.

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.

Amongst his achievements in the game, Vijayan was crowned the Indian Player of the Year in 1992, 1997 and 1999. He also represented the victorious Indian team in the 1999 South Asian Football Federation Cup and scored the fastest international goal in history during the tournament, hitting the net against Bhutan after only 12 seconds.
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