Inivalappil Mani Vijayan (born 25 April 1969), known as I. M. Vijayan, is a former Indian footballer from Kerala and one of the greatest strikers the country has produced. He rose from selling soda outside the municipal stadium in Thrissur to captain the national team, was named Indian Player of the Year three times and formed a celebrated attacking partnership with Bhaichung Bhutia. He received the Arjuna Award in 2003 and the Padma Shri in 2025.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Inivalappil Mani Vijayan |
| Born | 25 April 1969, Thrissur, Kerala |
| Age | 57 |
| Sport | Football |
| Position | Forward |
| Clubs | Kerala Police, Mohun Bagan, JCT Mills, FC Kochin, East Bengal, Churchill Brothers |
| National team | India (1989–2003) |
| Nickname | Kalo Harin (“Black Buck”) |
| Honours | Indian Player of the Year (1993, 1997, 1999); Arjuna Award (2003); Padma Shri (2025) |
Early Life
Vijayan was born into a poor Dalit family in Thrissur. His father, who worked in hotels, died in a road accident when Vijayan was a boy, and his mother supported her two sons by collecting scrap and doing odd jobs. He left school early. To earn a little money he sold bottles of soda to spectators at the municipal stadium, which also let him watch matches for nothing; he played barefoot with a ball made of rags.
His talent was noticed at local trials, and he was taken into a football camp in the town. M. K. Joseph, the Director General of Police, saw him play and in 1987, when he was seventeen, had him recruited to the Kerala Police team.
Club Career
With Vijayan up front, Kerala Police became one of the best sides in the country, winning the Federation Cup in 1990 and 1991. He also helped Kerala win the Santosh Trophy, the national championship for states.
In 1991 he joined Mohun Bagan in Calcutta, the centre of Indian club football, where supporters named him Kalo Harin, the black buck, for his speed and grace. Over the next decade and a half he moved between clubs for what were then record fees: Mohun Bagan again, JCT Mills of Punjab, where he won the first National Football League in 1996–97 alongside Bhutia, FC Kochin, the first fully professional club in the country, East Bengal and Churchill Brothers. He was the league’s leading personality as well as a prolific scorer, known for overhead kicks and goals from improbable angles.
India
He made his international debut in 1989 and played for India until 2003, scoring some thirty to forty goals in about seventy matches, depending on how appearances are counted. He was captain for part of that time. India won the South Asian Football Federation championship in 1993, 1997 and 1999 with him in attack. At the 1999 South Asian Games in Kathmandu he scored against Bhutan twelve seconds after the kick-off, one of the fastest goals recorded in international football. He retired from the national team after the Afro-Asian Games of 2003, where he was the top scorer.
After Football
He stayed with the Kerala Police throughout and rose to the rank of assistant commandant, retiring from the force in 2025. He has run a football academy in Thrissur and coached, and has served on the technical committee of the All India Football Federation.
He also built a second career as an actor. A short documentary, Kalo Harin, was made about his life in the 1990s, and he played the lead in Jayaraj’s Shantham (2000), which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film. He has since appeared in more than twenty Malayalam and Tamil films, often as a villain.
Personal Life
He is married to Raji, and they have three children; his son has also played football. Vijayan remains a hero in Kerala well beyond the game, an example of how far ability could take a boy who began with nothing.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was I. M. Vijayan born?
I. M. Vijayan was born on 25 April 1969 in Thrissur, Kerala and is 57 years old.
What honours has I. M. Vijayan received?
Indian Player of the Year (1993, 1997, 1999); Arjuna Award (2003); Padma Shri (2025).
Featured image: I. M. Vijayan in November 2017. Photo by Anand Anil, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
