Nanjangud Shivananju Manju (born 9 May 1984) is an Indian professional footballer who played as a defender for Bengaluru FC in the I-League. He was capped 25 times for India. He is currently working as a Football Commentator in Star Sports 1 Kannada Channel for the Indian Super League.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 9 May 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Mysore, Karnataka, India[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| DYS, Karnataka | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2003–2004 | HAL | ||
| 2004–2007 | Mahindra United | ||
| 2007–2010 | Mohun Bagan | ||
| 2011–2012 | United Sikkim | ||
| 2012 | → Pune (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2013–2016 | Bengaluru FC | 3 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2004 | India U20 | ||
| 2006–2008 | India U23 | ||
| 2005–2011 | India | 25 | (2) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22 December 2013 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 4 October 2013 | |||
Career
Early career
In his early career, Manju played for Hindustan Aeronautics Limited S.C., Mahindra United, and Mohun Bagan A.C. all in the National Football League and I-League.[2] Manju was nominated for the ‘Best Indian Player’ Award at the inaugural edition of the FPAI Awards Night in 2009.[3]
United Sikkim
On 18 February 2011, it was announced that Manju had signed with United Sikkim F.C. of the I-League 2nd Division along with national team teammate Renedy Singh.[4] The major decider in him going was the fact that the team was owned by his national teammate Baichung Bhutia.[4]
Pune FC (loan)
On 7 January 2012, it was confirmed that Manju had signed for I-League side Pune F.C. on loan for the remainder of the 2011–12 I-League season.[5]
Bengaluru FC
After not playing at all during the 2012–13 I-League season, Manju signed for new direct-entry I-League club Bengaluru FC for the 2013–14 season.[6] He made his debut for the club on 2 November 2013 against Mumbai F.C. at the Balewadi Sports Complex in which he played the full match as Bengaluru FC drew the match 2–2.[7]
International
After doing well in domestic league football, Manju earned a call-up to the India national football team.[3] Before playing for the seniors, Manju was captain of the India U23 team.[3] He was on the India national squad who won the prestigious Nehru Cup in 2007 and 2009.[8]
He was on the squad that toured Barcelona as a preparatory camp for the Nehru Cup 2009,[9] but unfortunately got himself injured in the first match of the Nehru Cup 2009 vs Lebanon which ruled him out of the Nehru Cup 2009,[10] IFA Shield, Durand Cup as well as Federation Cup.[11]
International goals
- Scores and results list India's goal tally first.[12]
| No | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 14 December 2005 | Peoples Football Stadium, Karachi, Pakistan |  Maldives | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2005 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup |
| 2. | 6 September 2006 | Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia |  Saudi Arabia | 1–0 | 1–7 | 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
Honours
India