Meghalaya’s Sanfida Nongrum, taught by Michael Jordan, announces itself at the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup

Perhaps the palpable bundle of nerves that was Sanfida Nongrum during the post-match interview after India’s 1-2 defeat to Vietnam in their AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 opener showed the 20-year-old’s age. Or perhaps it stemmed from the fact that it was only her first live television interview since her first call-up to the national team in January.

But just an hour earlier, the Meghalaya midfielder, the eldest of four siblings, showed maturity on the field and showed presence of mind as she scored India’s first goal of the edition. She was brought on in place of Dangmei Grace at half-time, and seven minutes later the ball had fallen kindly into Sanfida’s path during an India counter-attack. She ran to the bouncing ball, saw the Vietnamese custodian come off her line and hit a half volley with her left foot to tie the score at 1-1.

After the goal, she continued to be involved in the Blue Tigresses’ movements in the future. Whether it was a weighted pass through the middle to find Manisha Kalyan, or turning on the afterburners to track back and retrieve the ball, Sanfida controlled the midfield with ease. It didn’t seem like it was her debut.

«My game is very calm and relaxed,» Sanfida, who on Wednesday became the first from her state to play for the Indian women’s team, had said Sports stars leading up to the tournament in what was her first interview with a writer.

Despite the loss, head coach Amelia Valverde also appreciated the young talent. «She is doing very well in training and shows good dynamics. For Sanfida to make her debut at a tournament like this, I think it is a moment she will remember for the rest of her life.»

While silencing the crowd at Perth Rectangular Stadium, which cheered every Vietnamese move, is a memory to cherish, it was certainly a moment inspired by the life of one person: Michael Jordan.

READ ALSO | Iran salutes and sings national anthem during the Women’s Asian Cup

How The Last Dance Inspired Mental Toughness

In the 2023/24 Indian Women’s League 2 season, Sanfida was part of Delhi-based Garhwal United FC who narrowly missed out on promotion to the top tier by one point. After the heartbreak, many of the senior players left the team and the captaincy was handed to her the following season.

«First of all, I learned a lot when we lost IWL 2. I put a lot of pressure on myself. After that season, I had to step up and be an adult. I’m grateful that we lost that match because I learned something from it.»

Then she found Jordan and The last dance documentary, and adopted them as her teachers. «I watched it three, four times. Whenever I picked something up from that, I wrote it down in my notebook and applied it to myself. Not just Jordan, but I watched videos of other legendary players and listened to what they had to say.»

It was Sanfida’s head coach at Garhwal, Akshay Unni, who pushed her to work on her mental strength. «When we missed the IWL promotion, it confused her. Because she was our main player, she felt like she could have done more. Skill-wise she has everything, but mentally she was lacking. She had offers from bigger clubs, but she chose to stay and wanted to take her club to IWL. We had an open conversation and I told her that she should follow the best athletes in the world and that there was no one better than Michael Jordan. He had nothing for seven years and he could have left, but that didn’t happen. We told Polly (Sanfida) that she could be our Jordan,» Akshay explained.

This process seemed to work like a charm. Sanfida, who came through the Bhaichung Bhatia Football Schools Academy in Nashik, led Garhwal to the IWL 2 title and earned promotion to the IWL. In the 2025-26 IWL season, Garhwal currently sits at the fifth position with two wins from seven matches.

READ ALSO | India loses to Vietnam in the 2026 Asian Cup campaign opener

First days as Blue Tigress

During the first phase of the IWL, Sanfida was included in the Indian squad for the preliminary tour in Turkiye in January after impressing in the competition. Even Crispin Chettri, who had taken India to the Asian Cup and is now the team’s assistant coach, had touted the Shillong player as one of the players to watch.

«I was in Kolkata playing in the IWL and suddenly I heard that I was getting a call. I didn’t even expect it,» Sanfida had said. «I was scared at first. Everyone is like a big sister. But once I got to the camp, they were very inviting and made me feel comfortable.»

Akshay revealed that Sanfida is starting to find another idol to look up to in the Indian camp, and the veteran Grace is slowly becoming one. «She needs to identify the next big icon that she wants to learn more about. And once she does that, I think she will be the future of Indian football for the next 10 to 15 years. She’s learning a lot from Grace there, I’ve heard. Yeah, yeah. And we’ve talked about it. She says, ‘Dangmei’ By is so good in the gym’. We did some research on her longevity, she is next level. She could be Sanfida’s next mentor.

Akshay also explained how Sanfida can “bring the legs” to the Indian midfield, and the youngster has already shown it. With the daunting task of facing the might of Japan next Saturday, the midfielder will be hoping she has been given her first start in India colours.

Published on March 5, 2026