Sanju Yadav (born 12 September 1997) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a forward for the Indian Women's League club Sribhumi and the India women's national football team.

Sanju Yadav
Personal information
Full name Sanju Yadav
Date of birth (1997-09-12) 12 September 1997 (age 28)
Place of birth Alakhpura, Haryana, India
Height 1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)[1]
Position Forward
Team information
Current team
Sribhumi
Number 8
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2017 Alakhpura FC 10 (15)
2017–2018 Rising Student's Club 8 (3)
2019–2021 Gokulam Kerala
2022 Sethu
2023–2024 Odisha
2024–2025 Kickstart
2025– Sribhumi
International career
2014–2015 India U19 3 (0)
2016– India 65 (11)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 16 May 2019
‡ National team caps and goals as of 10 March 2026

Early life

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Born in the village of Alakhpura, Yadav began playing football at the age of ten in order to gain scholarships and money for her family.[2] She mainly trains with her village players and the India national team.[3]

Domestic career

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In October 2016, Sanju was part of the Alakhpura side that took part in the preliminary round of the Indian Women's League. On 17 October 2016, she scored a hattrick for the club against Bodyline. This helped her side win 4–0.[4] She emerged the top scorer at the league's preliminary round, netting 11 goals and thus helping her team qualify for the tournament's final round. At the final round of the women's league she helped her team qualify in the semi finale by scoring three goals.

On 21 December 2016, after her performances for both her club and country, Yadav was named the AIFF Emerging Player of the Year.[5]

She then joined Rising Student's Club for the 2017-18 Indian Women's League and scored 2 goals for the club in the Final Round. In 2019 she joined Gokulam Kerala FC.

International career

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In February 2016, Yadav was selected as a member of the 20-woman India squad that would participate in the 2016 South Asian Games.[6] She made her debut and scored her first goal internationally on 13 February 2016 against Bangladesh. Her goal in the 74th minute was the fourth as India won 5–1 and moved into the gold medal match.[7] Two days later she came on as a substitute in the 69th minute as India won the tournament, defeating Nepal 4–0 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong.[8]

Career statistics

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International

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As of 10 March 2026
National teamYearCapsGoals
India 2016 6 2
2017 2 1
2018 3 0
2019 22 8
2021 6 0
2022 2 0
2023 4 0
2024 10 0
2025 7 0
2026 3 0
Total 65 11
Scores and results list India's goal tally first.
List of international goals scored by Sanju Yadav
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.13 February 2016Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Shillong, India Bangladesh4–15–12016 South Asian Games
2.27 December 2016Kanchenjunga Stadium, Siliguri, India Afghanistan5–15–12016 SAFF Women's Championship
3.11 November 2018Thuwunna Stadium, Yangon, Myanmar Bangladesh6–07–12020 Olympic Qualifiers
4.21 January 2019Hong Kong Hong Kong3–15–2Friendly
5.30 January 2019Benteng Taruna Stadium, Tangerang, Indonesia Indonesia1–02–0Friendly
6.1 March 2019Alanya, Turkey Turkmenistan2–010–02019 Turkish Women's Cup
7.3–0
8.7–0
9.13 March 2019Sahid Rangasala, Biratnagar, Nepal Maldives4–06–02019 SAFF Women's Championship
10.6–0
11.9 April 2019Mandalar Thiri Stadium, Mandalay, Myanmar Myanmar2–23–32020 Olympic Qualifiers

Honours

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India

Odisha

Rising Students Club

Individual

  • AIFF Women's Emerging Player of the Year: 2016

References

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  1. "2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup Squad Lists" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 27 February 2026.
  2. Sural, Ajay (27 December 2016). "Alakhpura village labourer's daughter to play for Indian women's soccer team today". Times of India. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  3. Sural, Ajay (18 September 2016). "These footballers get a kick by beating odds". Times of India. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  4. "India Women's League Preliminary Round Kicks-off in Odisha". The All India Football Federation. 17 October 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  5. "Jeje Lalpekhlua is 2016 AIFF Player of the Year". The All India Football Federation. 21 December 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  6. "20 selected in Indian squad for 12th South Asian Games". The All India Football Federation. 1 February 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  7. "'Hardships made me a better Player'". The All India Football Federation. 1 March 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  8. "Indian Women win Gold in South Asian Games". The All India Football Federation. 15 February 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  9. "Odisha FC take home the IWL trophy with stunning ease". i-league.org. I-League. 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
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