Nishan Velupillay

Nishan Matthew Velupillay (Tamil: நிஷான் மேத்யூ வேலுப்பிள்ளை, pronounced [niːʃɑːn ʋeːlupːiɭɭai];^[2] born 7 May 2001) is an Australian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Melbourne Victory and the Australia national team.^[3]

Nishan Velupillay

Velupillay in 2023
Personal information
Full name	Nishan Velupillay
Date of birth	(2001-05-07) 7 May 2001 (age 24)
Place of birth	Melbourne, Australia
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Position	Winger
Team information
Current team	Melbourne Victory
Number	17
Youth career
	Endeavour United
	Glen Eira FC
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2019–2022	Melbourne Victory NPL	17	(6)
2021–	Melbourne Victory	106	(15)
International career‡
2023–2024	Australia U23	14	(5)
2024–	Australia	5	(3)
Medal record Men's football Representing  Australia WAFF U-23 Championship Runner-up 2024 Saudi Arabia
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 14 June 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 25 March 2025

Early life

Velupillay's father is Malaysian with Sri Lankan Tamil heritage, while his mother is Anglo Indian.^[4]

Club career

Early career

Velupillay began his career in the youth academy at Glen Eira FC, FTS (football technique school).^[5][6]

Melbourne Victory

Velupillay signed his first professional contract with Melbourne Victory in 2019. He made his professional debut for the club on 19 May 2021, coming on as a substitute in a 0–2 defeat against Sydney. On 11 December 2021, Velupillay scored his first professional goal, netting the winning goal in a 2–1 win over Adelaide United.^[7] In the 2024 finals series Velupillay would score a late goal in the 88th minute in an elimination final against Melbourne City, to make the scores level and put the match into extra-time.^[8] In the 2024-25 season Velupillay would become the clubs top goal-scorer for Melbourne Victory in all competitions and equal top goal-scorer for the club in the regular season. Unfortunately Velupillay would miss out on playing in the 2025 A-League Grand final against Melbourne City, due to an injury.^[9]

International career

In October 2024, Velupillay was called up by Tony Popovic ahead of their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan. On 10 October, in the match against China, he came off the bench in the 83rd minute to replace Mitchell Duke to mark off his international debut. 7 minutes later, he scored his first international goal to seal a 3–1 win.

Further goals from Velupillay for the Socceroos came in the March qualifying window for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He scored in both games that window, first against Indonesia and then followed by China 5 days later, with this being the second time he had scored against the Chinese national team. These two goals were a part of a 6 game scoring streak for Velupillay for club and country.

Career

Club statistics

As of 3 June 2025^[update]

Club	Season	League			Playoffs		National Cup		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Melbourne Victory Youth	2021[10]	NPL Victoria 3	5	2	—		—		—		5	2
	2022[10]		3	1	1	0	—		—		4	1
	Total		8	3	1	0	—		—		9	3
Melbourne Victory	2020-21	A-League	4	0	—		—		—		4	0
	2021-22	A-League Men	22	2	2	0	2	0	—		26	2
	2022–23		26	3	—		1	0	—		27	3
	2023–24		23	2	4	1	1	1	—		28	4
	2024–25		22	7	3	0	5	5	—		30	12
	Total		97	14	9	1	9	6	—		115	21
Career total			105	17	10	1	9	6	—		124	24

International goals

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	10 October 2024	Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, Australia	China	3–1	3–1	2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
2.	20 March 2025	Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, Australia	Indonesia	2–0	5–1
3.	25 March 2025	Hangzhou Sports Park Stadium, Hangzhou, China	China	2–0	2–0

Honours

Player

Melbourne Victory

• FFA Cup: 2021

Australia U-23

• WAFF U-23 Championship: runner-up 2024^[11]

Individual

• Young Player of the Year: 2021–22^[12]