AlejandroQkj at 03:56, 7 May 2026

2026-05-07T03:56:54Z

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{{Short description|Indian footballer (born 2007)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2026}}
{{Indian name|Shilji|Shaji}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Shilji Shaji
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age |2007|3|13|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Kakkayam, Kozhikode|Kakkayam]],[[Kozhikode]], [[Kerala]], India
| height = 1.53 m<ref name="AFC-squad-list">{{cite web |title=2026 AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup Squad Lists |url=https://assets.the-afc.com/2026_AFC_U20_Womens_Asian_Cup/Finals/Downloads/Squads/AFC-U20-Women's-Asian-Cup-2026---squads.pdf?source=url |publisher=Asian Football Confederation |access-date=31 March 2026 }}</ref>
| position = [[Forward (association football)|Forward]]
| currentclub = [[Gokulam Kerala FC (women)|Gokulam Kerala]]
| clubnumber = 20
| years1 = 2022–
| clubs1 = [[Gokulam Kerala FC (women)|Gokulam Kerala]]
| caps1 = 10
| goals1 = 2
| nationalyears1 = 2023
| nationalteam1 = [[India women's national under-17 football team|India U17]]
| nationalcaps1 = 6
| nationalgoals1 = 16
| nationalyears2 = 2025–
| nationalteam2 = [[India women's national under-20 football team|India U20]]
| nationalcaps2 = 3
| nationalgoals2 = 0
| pcupdate = 6 May 2026
}}

'''Shilji Shaji''' (born 13 March 2007) is an Indian women's international [[association football|footballer]] who plays for [[Gokulam Kerala FC (women)|Gokulam Kerala]] and the [[India women's national under-17 football team|India U17]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.the-aiff.com/article/pv-priya-announces-20-member-squad-for-saff|title=PV Priya announces 20-member squad for SAFF U-17 Women's Championship to be held in Dhaka|publisher=AIFF|date=16 March 2023|access-date=20 March 2023|archive-date=17 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230317133951/https://www.the-aiff.com/article/pv-priya-announces-20-member-squad-for-saff|url-status=live}}</ref> She won the [[AIFF Player of the Year Awards#Emerging Player of the Year|2022–23 AIFF Emerging Player of the Year]] award.<ref name="2022-23Aiff">{{cite web |title=Indian Football News: Chhangte and Manisha Kalyan win the AIFF Player Of the Year award |url=https://sportzpoint.com/football/indian-football-news-chhangte-and-manisha-kalyan-win-the-aiff-player-of-the-year-award/#:~:text=Mumbai%20City%20FC%20winger%20Lallianzuala,Player%20of%20the%20Year%20award. |website=sportzpoint.com |access-date=4 July 2023}}</ref>

== Early life ==

Shilji hails from Kakkayam, Kozhikode, Kerala and started playing football at Kallanode School.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://khelnow.com/football/2023-03-indian-football-saff-u17-womens-championship-shilji-shaji-profile|title=Shilji Shaji wants to build on a bright start for the Indian U-17 Women's Team|publisher=khelnow.com|access-date=28 March 2023|archive-date=25 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325145517/https://khelnow.com/football/2023-03-indian-football-saff-u17-womens-championship-shilji-shaji-profile|url-status=live}}</ref> She said, "My father played football, and he sent me to play as well. Very few girls of my age used to play football. So I mostly played with senior girls".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://footballexpress.in/shilji-shaji-sets-a-high-standard-for-the-indian-u-17-womens-team/|title=Shilji Shaji sets a high standard for the Indian U-17 Women's Team|date=24 March 2023 |publisher=footballexpress.in|access-date=28 March 2023|archive-date=28 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328004349/https://footballexpress.in/shilji-shaji-sets-a-high-standard-for-the-indian-u-17-womens-team/|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Career ==

=== Gokulam Kerala ===
Shilji progressed through the girls' academy at Gokulam . She made her senior debut during the [[2025–26 Indian Women's League]] season aged 18, was introduced as a substitute against [[Nita Football Academy|Nita]] on 20 December 2025.

== International career ==

She was called up to the [[India women's national under-17 football team|India U17]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.arunfoot.com/aiff-tv-interview-with-india-u-17-womens-shilji-shaji/|title=Interview with India U-17 Women's Shilji Shaji!|date=22 March 2023 |publisher=arunfoot.com|access-date=28 March 2023|archive-date=22 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322180200/https://www.arunfoot.com/aiff-tv-interview-with-india-u-17-womens-shilji-shaji/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.manoramaonline.com/sports/football/2023/03/19/shilji-shaji-and-akhila-rajan-in-indian-team.html|title=സാഫ് ഫുട്ബോൾ: ഇന്ത്യൻ ടീമിൽ ഇടം നേടി ഷിൽജിയും അഖിലയും, ആദ്യ മത്സരം നേപ്പാളിനെതിരെ|publisher=manoramaonline.com|access-date=28 March 2023|archive-date=28 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328004351/https://www.manoramaonline.com/sports/football/2023/03/19/shilji-shaji-and-akhila-rajan-in-indian-team.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://thebridge.in/football/afc-u17-women-asia-cup-india-squad-named-qualifiers-41226 | title=AFC U17 Women's Asia Cup: Indian squad named for qualifiers | date=19 April 2023 }}</ref>
Shilji scored her first goal for [[India women's national under-17 football team|India U17]] team in a friendly match against [[Jordan women's national under-17 football team|Jordan]] on 6 February 2023,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://view19.in/india-u-17-women-outplay-hosts-jordan-in-friendly-match/|title=India U-17 women outplay hosts Jordan in friendly match - View19|date=6 February 2023|access-date=20 March 2023|archive-date=20 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230320103841/https://view19.in/india-u-17-women-outplay-hosts-jordan-in-friendly-match/|url-status=live}}</ref> ultimately scoring four goals in this game. Shilji also scored another four goals in the next match against the same opponent on 9 February 2023.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thestatesman.com/sports/football-shilji-shaji-nets-four-as-india-u-17-womens-team-hammers-jordan-6-0-1503153565.html|title=Football: Shilji Shaji nets four as India U-17 women's team hammers Jordan 6-0|website=[[The Statesman (India)|The Statesman]] |date=10 February 2023|access-date=20 March 2023|archive-date=20 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230320103836/https://www.thestatesman.com/sports/football-shilji-shaji-nets-four-as-india-u-17-womens-team-hammers-jordan-6-0-1503153565.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Shilji scored a hat trick as India beat [[Nepal women's national under-17 football team|Nepal]] emphatically in the [[2023 SAFF U-17 Women's Championship]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.footballcounter.com/2023/shilji-shaji-strikes-hat-trick-as-india-down-nepal-in-saff-u-17-womens-championship-opener/ |title=Shilji Shaji strikes hat-trick as India down Nepal in SAFF U-17 Women's Championship opener |date=20 March 2023 |access-date=20 March 2023 |archive-date=20 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230320155356/https://www.footballcounter.com/2023/shilji-shaji-strikes-hat-trick-as-india-down-nepal-in-saff-u-17-womens-championship-opener/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Shilji got to her fourth hat trick for the U-17 team against [[Bhutan women's national under-17 football team|Bhutan]] in the [[2023 SAFF U-17 Women's Championship]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://khelnow.com/football/2023-03-indian-football-saff-under-17-womens-championship-india-vs-bhutan-match-report |title=SAFF U17 Womens' Championship: India vs Bhutan report |work=Khel Now |date=26 March 2023 |access-date=26 March 2023 |archive-date=26 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326161916/https://khelnow.com/football/2023-03-indian-football-saff-under-17-womens-championship-india-vs-bhutan-match-report |url-status=live }}</ref>
She was called for [[2024 AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup qualification]] Team, Later AIFF announced Nishima Kumari of Jharkhand as replacement for attacking midfielder Shilji Shaji, who was diagnosed with viral pneumonia.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.the-aiff.com/article/pv-priya-names-u1-7-womens-squad-for-u-17-afc-womens-asian-cup-qualifiers-in-bishkek | title=PV Priya names U-17 Women's squad for U-17 AFC Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers in Bishkek }}</ref>

==Honours==

'''Individual'''
* Top Scorer :[[2023 SAFF U-17 Women's Championship]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shilji Shaji}}
[[Category:2007 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Salem, Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Footballers from Kerala]]
[[Category:Sportswomen from Kerala]]
[[Category:Indian women's footballers]]
[[Category:India women's international footballers]]
[[Category:India women's youth international footballers]]
[[Category:Gokulam Kerala FC Women players]]
[[Category:Women's association football forwards]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian sportswomen]]

{{India-women-footy-bio-stub}}
{{India-footy-forward-stub}}

Shilji Shaji - Revision history

AlejandroQkj at 03:56, 7 May 2026