Indian Football Legend IM Vijayan honoured with Padma Shri award
IM Vijayan, regarded as one of India's greatest footballers, is the ninth Indian footballer to receive the prestigious Padma Shri award.

Inivalappil Mani Vijayan, former Indian captain and one of the country’s finest footballers of all time, was honoured with the Padma Shri award, the country’s fourth-highest civilian award, on the eve of Republic Day.
This accolade marks a significant milestone in his illustrious career. He is only the ninth Indian footballer to be awarded the Padma Shri.
“I dedicate my award to every football fan in the country. What I am today is because of them,” Vijayan told the-aiff.com.
“I am not sure how good I was as a footballer. But the love I received from the fans was the biggest achievement of my career. They are the people who are responsible for taking the beautiful game to this height,” said the striker.
A proud moment for #IndianFootball! 🇮🇳#IMVijayan is honoured with the prestigious Padma Shri 🙌#PadmaShri | @IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/BSrBaS0OhO
— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) January 26, 2025
Born in Thrissur, Vijayan began his footballing journey with the Kerala Police Football Club before moving to Mohun Bagan. He later returned to Kerala Police, had another stint at Mohun Bagan, and finally joined East Bengal FC, where he also concluded his career in the 2005-06 season – consistently displaying his goalscoring prowess wherever he played during his club career.
Vijayan made his debut for the National Team in 1991 and proudly represented the country for 12 years. He captained the team from 2000 to 2004. Together with Bhaichung Bhutan, the duo formed a formidable attacking partnership for the Blue Tigers.
With 88 appearances and 39 goals for the national team, Vijayan earned numerous accolades. He was the first player to win the AIFF Player of the Year award three times and still holds the record for India’s fastest hat-trick in international football, scoring against Pakistan during the 1999 SAF Games. He was also conferred with the prestigious Arjuna Award in 2003.