We know Grace Dangmei as the Indian footballer who achieved a lot for the sport in India. But in Bishnupur, around 2008, Grace was looking to become a sprinter. Along with her father, she went to get herself enrolled at the SAI NERC in Imphal. But the centre was full of people older than her which made her uncomfortable.
Her father asked her to focus on her studies. Though not long after a friend approached with an invitation to be a part of the football team.
Speaking to Sportstar a few days after the 2026 SAFF championship, “She told me there’s a tournament going on in our area, and one person was needed. I asked my father, and he gave me permission. And I played football for the first time. Once I started training after a coach told me whether I was interested, I would run after school, change quickly, and take whatever vehicle available to go for practice,” Grace reminisced from her home in Bishnupur in Manipur.
However, today Manipur’s situation is in dire need of help. The state has been involved in ethnic conflicts, with Grace’s hometown of Bishnupur at the centre of the unrest.
“Manipur’s situation is such that we have to be alert all the time. Whenever we go out, anything can happen on the road. It’s really terrifying. I hope the government, the leaders of every community come to a decision and then bring peace for all the people. Things like the education system and people’s livelihood have been affected. So I hope this situation settles as soon as possible and normalcy is brought back.”
Dangmei announced her retirement from international football after India’s win over Bangladesh in the 2026 SAFF final, where they defeated Bangladesh 3-1. Grace was brought in during the 86th minute of the final, replacing Pyari Xaxa.
Grace made 96 appearances for the Indian team and scored 24 goals over her 13-year career.
Speaking to Sportstar a few days after the championship, she said, “When we played the Asian Cup Qualifiers in Thailand (June, 2025), I was thinking of retiring. But we qualified and then I came to Australia. There, the result wasn’t in our hands, but I took a call. If we win the SAFF Championship then I will retire. So I have been thinking for a long time.”
“I told Mario (Aguiar), our goalkeeping coach, during the warm-up that I’ll retire after this match. So, I told him to give me a chance in this match (laughs). He said that he’ll speak to the coach. Head coach Crispin (Chettri) was angry because I didn’t tell him earlier, but I was just smiling. I didn’t want to announce this before the final because there was tension and pressure, and I didn’t want to disturb the preparations.”
So why did she retire from international football now after winning?
“I want to go on and do things other than football. I took the stand because now there are lots of junior players who can play for the national team. It’s not because of physical fitness or anything. I just want to focus on my next step after football.”
“I approached some senior players and asked them whether this would be the right decision. They said yes because if we stay in a place for too long then our value goes down.”
Talking about the regrets she has about her career her answer was heartbreaking.
“Not able to qualify for the World Cup, that will be the one regret for the rest of my life. It’s not like we didn’t get the chance to, but we weren’t able to.”
One of the most memorable moments for her was the 2019 SAFF Women’s Championship in Nepal. This was the same year when she had 11 strikes in front of the goal. “Under Maymol (Rocky )’s coach, we were playing the final against Nepal. I remember the meeting we had, everyone was very emotional. The host was being backed by local fans and not even one supporter for India could be seen. Dalima (Chibber) scored first but then they equalised. I scored the second and then Anju (Tamang) scored the third goal. We won the final in front of the Nepal crowd, and that will remain as one of the most memorable moments of my life.”
Speaking about club football, Dangmei admitted that the Indian Women’s League (IWL) has improved in the past 3 to 4 years but still has a long way to go. She will also continue playing club football.
“There have been some improvements and some bad things. Like recently, we had the home-away system which suddenly stopped. I think the number of teams and matches should be increased so that players get more playing time. Moreover, the men have tournaments like the Durand Cup and others. For us, it’s just the IWL and the Senior Nationals. If AIFF could introduce more tournaments for the women then that would help a lot.”
“The financial status is a bit better, but I expect more if the budget increases gradually. Not like the men’s but something stable. In terms of international exposure, AIFF has given us friendlies, something which wasn’t there when I started playing back in 2013. The only matches we would play would be the AFC Asian Cup qualifying round.”
Further, speaking about her plans now that she doesn’t have to bear the weight of wearing the national jersey, she didn’t reveal much except saying she plans on studying further.
As for playing club football, she said, “I’ll play freely with no tension,” she laughed.
(Quotes sourced from Sportstar)
