Dalima Chhibber

Dalima Chhibber (born 30 August 1997) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Kickstart and Indian national team.^[2][3][4]

Dalima Chhibber

Personal information
Full name	Dalima Chhibber
Date of birth	(1997-08-30) 30 August 1997 (age 27)
Place of birth	Delhi, India
Height	1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Position(s)	Right Back
Team information
Current team	Kickstart
Number	17
Youth career
2004	Eves Soccer Club
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2019–2023	Manitoba Bisons[1]	26	(1)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2017	Pune City	6	(2)
2018	India Rush SC	6	(0)
2019–2022	Gokulam Kerala	16	(1)
2023–	Kickstart
International career‡
2011–2012	India U14	4	(9)
2012–2013	India U17	3	(0)
2014–2015	India U19	3	(0)
2016–	India	54	(2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23 October 2024

Early and personal life

Dalima was born in a football-loving family, as both of her parents were soccer players, and her dad made it pro, as did her sister and her brother. She joined her father Om Chhibber's football academy Eves Soccer Club at the age of 7 and eventually went on to play for the Indian women's youth teams. She did her graduation from the Jesus and Mary College of the Delhi University.^[5][6] She is pursuing her Masters in Sports Psychology at the University of Manitoba where she is also a part of the women's soccer team of Manitoba Bisons.^[7] She completed her graduation in November 2022.^[8]

In 2019, she became brand ambassador of sports equipments manufacturer Vector X.^[9]

Club career

Dalima played for FC Pune City in 2016-17 Indian Women's League season and then moved to India Rush SC for the 2017–18 Indian Women's League season. She joined Gokulam Kerala FC on 31 March 2019 for the 2019–20 Indian Women's League season.

On 14 August 2019, Dalima joined Manitoba Bisons in Canadian West Universities Premier Division.^[10] After two-year long stint and experience with Gokulam Kerala, Chhibber moved back to Canadian side Manitoba Bisons in August 2022.^[11]

After spell in Manitoba Bisons, Chhibber returned to India in 2023, signed with Kickstart for 2023–24 IWL season, and became club captain.^[12]

International career

Dalima made her international debut in 2016 South Asian games against Maldives.^[13] After that she became a regular choice for the national team.^[14] She scored her first goal in 2019 SAFF Women's Championship against Bangladesh on 20 March 2019. Her second goal came against Nepal, a 40 yard freekick in the final of the SAFF Championship.^[15] For her prolific performance in 2019 SAFF Women's Championship she was awarded the Most Valuable Player of the Tournament Award.^[16]

Career statistics

International

As of 23 October 2024

International caps and goals
Year	Caps	Goals
2016	3	0
2017	7	0
2018	3	0
2019	18	2
2021	6	0
2022	2	0
2023	10	0
2024	5	0
Total	54	2

Scores and results list India's goal tally first.

List of international goals scored by Dalima Chhibber

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	20 March 2019	Sahid Rangsala, Biratnagar, Nepal	Bangladesh	1–0	4–0	2019 SAFF Women's Championship
2.	22 March 2019		Nepal	1–0	3–1

Honours

India

• SAFF Women's Championship: 2016, 2019
• South Asian Games Gold Medal: 2016

Gokulam Kerala

• Indian Women's League: 2021–22
• AFC Women's Club Championship: third place 2021

Kickstart

• Indian Women's League runner-up: 2022–23^[17][18]

Individual

• 2019 SAFF Women's Championship Most Valuable Player^[19]

See also

• List of Indian football players in foreign leagues

References

1. "Dalima Chhibber". University of Manitoba Athletics. Archived from the original on 3 September 2022. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
2. Sen, Debayan. "Six players to watch out for in the Indian Women's League". ESPN. Archived from the original on 28 February 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
3. "Live Your Goals brings a sparkle to participants' eyes". FIFA. 5 October 2016. Archived from the original on 7 October 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
4. Lokapally, Vijay (30 August 2015). "The goal is set". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
5. Pandey, Vinayak (8 March 2017). "Women's Day Special: Dalima Chhibber – Indian Footballer". Khel Now. Archived from the original on 3 September 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
6. Das, Ria (26 May 2018). "If Women's Football Gets The Attention It Needs, It Will Surely Grow". She The People. Archived from the original on 3 September 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
7. Pandey, Shubham (7 August 2019). "Dalima Chhibber: Chose to study and play in Canada because I need to sustain myself financially while playing football". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 3 September 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
8. "India national team veteran Dalima Chhibber using her own experiences as fuel for mental health awareness". Manitoba Bisons. 17 November 2022. Archived from the original on 20 November 2022. Retrieved 17 November 2022.
9. Shetty, Chittu (8 July 2019). "Dalima Chhibber comes on Board as Vector X Brand Ambassador". footballcounter.com. Mumbai: Football Counter India. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
10. Pchajek, Jason (18 September 2019). "Manitoba Bisons should use speed to drive offence in Canada West soccer". www.themanitoban.com. The Manitoban (Manitoba Bisons). Archived from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
11. Still, Mike; Willis, Braedan (29 August 2022). "After helping her home country, India national team star Dalima Chhibber back with Bisons soccer in 2022". gobisons.ca. Winnipeg, Manitoba: Manitoba Bisons Soccer (University of Manitoba). Archived from the original on 3 September 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
12. "KICKSTART FC ANNOUNCE THEIR SQUAD FOR HERO IWL 2023". 90ndstoppage.wordpress.com. 90ndstop Page. 26 April 2023. Archived from the original on 26 April 2023. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
13. "KAMALA'S BRACE GUIDES INDIA TO A WINNING START". www.the-aiff.com. Archived from the original on 26 July 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
14. "Dalima Chhibber- The Voice of Indian women's football". Football Express. Archived from the original on 3 September 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
15. Selvaraj, Jonathan (2 July 2019). "Curl it like Chhibber - Meet Indian football's poster girl". ESPN India. Archived from the original on 3 September 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
16. "Watch: MVP Dalima Chhibber Scores 30-Yard Screamer in SAFF Final". The Quint. 25 March 2019. Archived from the original on 3 September 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
17. "Gokulam Kerala steamroll Kickstart to complete hat-trick of Hero IWL titles". the-aiff.com. All India Football Federation. 21 May 2023. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
18. "Indian Women's League 2023: Gokulam Kerala thrash Kickstart FC 5–0 to win third consecutive title". sportstar.thehindu.com. Chennai: Sportstar. 21 May 2023. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
19. "सावित्रा र इन्दुमति सर्वाधिक गोलकर्ता, डालीमा सर्वोत्कृष्ट". hamrokhelkud.com (in Nepali). Hamro Khelkud. Archived from the original on 22 March 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2019.

External links

• Dalima Chhibber at All India Football Federation
• Dalima Chhibber at Global Sports Archive