Oinam Bembem Devi (born 4 April 1980) is a retired Indian footballer from

Imphal Imphal ( Meitei pronunciation: /im.pʰal/; English pronunciation: ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (also known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the fo ...

Manipur Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of Myanm ...

. In 2017, she was honoured with the

Arjuna Award The Arjuna Award, officially known as Arjuna Awards for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games, is the second-highest sporting honour of India, the highest being the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The award is named after Arjuna, one ...

by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. She was nicknamed the ''Durga of Indian Football'' and is currently involved in spreading awareness about Women's football in India. Oinam Bembem Devi is the recipient of India's highly prestigious award

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...

2020.

Early life and club career

Devi began her career as a footballer in 1988 when she began training at the United Pioneers Club in Imphal. In 1991, she was selected to represent the

U-13 team in the sub-junior football tournament. Her performances in the tournament got noticed, and was signed up by Yawa Singjamei Leishangthem Lekai club, and two years later, by the Social Union Nascent (SUN) Club. At the national level, Devi is a regular member of the

state football team for woman since the year 1993. She has been appointed the captain of her state team since the 32nd National Games held in

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

, where she led her state to victory. On 9 June 2014, Maldivian football club

New Radiant New Radiant Sports Club is a Maldivian professional football club based in Henveiru – Malé, Maldives. The club was founded on 19 August 1979 by Ahmed Waheed and his friend Ahammadhanik. New Radiant has won all domestic competitions bein ...

, announced the signing of Devi and another Indian youngster Lako Phuti Bhutia. Bembem Devi made her debut as a late 1st half substitute, in their match against Maldives police service on 11 June and her speed and skill were a constant threat to the opposition as Bembem provided two assists in her team's 4–0 win. In the match against defending champions Sun hotels and resorts, Bembem scored in both halves to help New Radiant WSC to a comfortable 4–0 win, securing them a spot in the semi finals against Sun Hotels and Resorts. In the Semi-finals, they defeated Sun hotels and resorts 5–1 and entered the final. The Final match was held on 21 June 2014 between New Radiant SC and Maldives National Defence Force. Bembem Devi scored in 9th and 26th minute of the match, to help New Radiant WSC achieve a historic 5–1 win over MNDF to win the league. Bembem Devi ended up as the top scorer of the

tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

with 6 goals in just 3 matches. She also provided 4 assists and she was awarded the Player of The Tournament for her excellent performances.

International career

At the age of 15, Bembem made her international debut against

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

in the Asian Women's Championships. The turning point in her career came at the 1996

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...

, where the Indian national team were drawn in a group alongside

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

and neighbours

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

. They lost to Japan 1-0 and won against Nepal 1-0 to progress from the group with Japan. In round 2 they would be drawn in a tough group alongside the national teams of

Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked cou ...

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the sout ...

and

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

. They lost all their matches but by then Oinam Bemben Devi had announced her arrival at the national stage. Before the 1997 AFC Cup in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, the Indian eve's team were sent to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

for a month-long camp, where the national team players were trained by German coaches and played against German oppositions. The camp proved vital as the Indian team won 3-0 against

Hong-Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

the top ranked team in women’ s football, defeated India 1-0 and in their final group game encounter India thrashed

10-0. She was given the armband of the Indian contingent in the AFC qualifying competition, held in

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

in 2003. She was the captain of the Indian team that emerged winners at the 11th

South Asian Games The South Asian Games (SAG or SA Games), formerly known as the South Asian Federation Games (SAFG or SAF Games), is a quadrennial multi-sport event held among the athletes from South Asia. The governing body of these games is South Asia Olympic C ...

held in

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

, in 2010 and the 2012 SAFF Women's Championship held in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

in the year 2012. She wears no. 6 jersey for India. She is set to play her last game on 15 February against Nepal, at the 12th South Asian Games in Shillong.

Career statistics

As manager

Devi was appointed as manager of

Eastern Sporting Union Eastern Sporting Union, generally known as ESU in Manipur, is an Indian professional association football, football club based in Imphal, Manipur. It's women's team competed in the Indian Women's League. Eastern Sporting Union is one of the mos ...

in 2017

Indian Women's League The Indian Women's League, known as ''Hero Indian Women's League'' for sponsorship ties with Hero MotoCorp is the women's top tier professional football league in Indian football. Founded in 2016, currently a total of 18 teams from across the ...

final rounds. She also became the first manager of

history to claim the tournament title also as a player. In 2018, she was assigned as the assistant coach for the India U17 women's team. In the 2018–19 Indian Women's League season, she managed Manipur Police Sports Club.

Honours

Player

India *

Gold medal:

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

SAFF Women's Championship The SAFF Women's Championship, also called the ''South Asian Football Federation Women's Cup'', is the main association football competition of the women's national football teams, governed by the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). All seve ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

Eastern Sporting Union *

: 2016–17 Manipur *

Senior Women's National Football Championship Senior Women's National Football Championship is the women's football tournament which is contested by state associations and government institutions in India. The first edition was held in 1991 and is organized by the All India Football Fede ...

: 2013–14 New Radiant WSC *

FAM Women's Football Championship The FAM Women's Football Championship is a Maldivian football competition for women, run by The Football Association of Maldives. Past winners Winners table References External linksWomen's Championship {{Top level women's association ...

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

Manager

Eastern Sporting Union *

: 2016–17 Manipur *

: 2021–22

Individual

* FAM Premier League Player of the Tournament: 2014–15 * AIFF Women's Player of the Year (2): 2001, 2013 *

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

Indian Express, Football Nationals

Two Indian players join Women's team
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oinam 1980 births Living people People from Imphal Indian women's footballers India women's international footballers Expatriate women's footballers in the Maldives New Radiant S.C. players Sportswomen from Manipur Footballers at the 1998 Asian Games Footballers at the 2014 Asian Games Women's association football midfielders Footballers from Manipur 21st-century Indian women 21st-century Indian people Eastern Sporting Union players South Asian Games gold medalists for India Asian Games competitors for India Recipients of the Padma Shri in sports South Asian Games medalists in football Indian expatriate women's footballers Indian football coaches Indian football managers Recipients of the Arjuna Award Indian Women's League players