Inivalappil Mani Vijayan (born 25 April 1969), also known by the nickname Kalo Harin (

Blackbuck The blackbuck (''Antilope cervicapra''), also known as the Indian antelope, is a medium-sized antelope native to India and Nepal. It inhabits grassy plains and lightly forested areas with perennial water sources. It stands up to high at the sh ...

), is a former professional

football player A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who also captained the

India national football team The India national football team represents India in men's international Association football, football and is governed by the All India Football Federation, the governing body for Football in India, football in India. It is a member of FIFA, ...

. He played as a striker, where he formed a successful attacking partnership with

Bhaichung Bhutia Bhaichung Bhutia (born 15 December 1976), also spelled as Baichung Bhutia, is an Indian former professional footballer who played as a striker. Bhutia is considered as the torchbearer of Indian football in the international arena. He is often ...

for the

in the late nineties and early 2000s. Vijayan started his career with the Kerala Police football club and rose to become one of the top names in domestic football. A highly aggressive player, he eventually became the highest earner in Indian club football as well as a regular choice in the Indian team. Vijayan's talents attracted interest from the clubs in Malaysia and Thailand, although he spent his entire career in India until retirement. By the end of his career he had scored 29 international goals in 72 matches for India. Since retiring from international football, Vijayan has set up a football academy to train young players in his home town. He was the captain of Indian football team from 2000 to 2004. Vijayan has also acted in some notable roles in many movies. One of his movies, Mmmmm was shortlisted for India's entry into the

93rd Academy Awards The 93rd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released from January 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021, at Union Station in Los Angeles. The ceremony was held on April 25, 2021 ...

. He received many awards and honors including the

Arjuna Award The Arjuna Award, officially known as Arjuna Awards given for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games, is the second-highest sporting honour of India, the highest being the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The award is named after Arjun ...

in 2003 and

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

in 2025.

Early life and domestic career

India and Bangladesh in action during the 1999 South Asian Games semi final

Vijayan was born into a

Malayali The Malayali people (; also spelt Malayalee and sometimes known by the demonym Keralite) are a Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala and Union Territory of Lakshadweep in India, occupying its south ...

family on 25 April 1969 in

Thrissur Thrissur (, ), Renaming of cities in India, formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the List of most populous urban agglomerations in Ke ...

City,

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

. He began his life in a gravely poor environment and had to sell soda bottles in the

Thrissur Municipal Corporation Stadium Thrissur Corporation Stadium is a association football, football stadium owned by Thrissur Municipal Corporation. Situated in Thrissur city, it is also known as Palace Stadium. It is one of the oldest stadiums in Kerala, India and has capacity ...

to help his family. He started out as a soda seller in the Thrissur Municipal Corporation Stadium, Kerala, earning 10 paise (0.02 cents) per bottle. He studied at Church Mission Society High School,

(CMSHSS, Thrissur). Vijayan had passion for the game of football, and somehow caught the eye of the then DGP of

, M.K. Joseph who got him selected for the Kerala Police football club at 17 years of age. Vijayan delivered brilliant performances for Kerala Police at Quilon Nationals 1987, and was able to impress the national football fraternity very soon with his impeccable skills and highly aggressive style of playing. He continued to play for Kerala Police until 1991. He then joined

Mohun Bagan Mohun Bagan Super Giant, commonly referred to as Mohun Bagan, is an Indian professional football club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1889, it is one of the oldest football clubs in Asia. The club competes in the Indian Super League, ...

, before coming back to Kerala Police in 1992 and then switching back to Mohun Bagan the very next year for a second spell at the club. In 1994, he joined JCT Mills Phagwara and stayed with them for 3 more years until 1997, when he left JCT to join

FC Kochin FC Kochin (often spelt FC Cochin) was an Indian professional association football, football club based in Kochi (India), Kochi, Kerala. In the late 1990s, it was the only football club from Kerala to participate in National Football League (Ind ...

. After spending a one year tenure with the club, he moved once more to Mohun Bagan in 1998, his third spell with the club, and then returned to FC Kochin in 1999. In August 2000, during the off-season, Vijayan joined the Bangladeshi Dhaka Premier Division League club

Muktijoddha Sangsad Muktijoddha Sangsad is a non-political Well-being, welfare Club (organization), association of the combatants during the Bangladesh Liberation War formed on 13 February 1972. The organisation has a football club, Muktijoddha Sangsad KC, named afte ...

and appeared in five league matches, while the lack of an international transfer certificate behind the signing caused a fine of 50,000 rupees by the

All India Football Federation All India Football Federation (AIFF) is the governing body of football, futsal and beach soccer in India. It is a member of FIFA, and is affiliated with the Asian Football Confederation and South Asian Football Federation. It is affiliated wit ...

in March 2001. He rejoined FC Kochin later and played until 2001. He later signed with

East Bengal East Bengal (; ''Purbô Bangla/Purbôbongo'') was the eastern province of the Dominion of Pakistan, which covered the territory of modern-day Bangladesh. It consisted of the eastern portion of the Bengal region, and existed from 1947 until 195 ...

before leaving in 2002 to join JCT Mills Phagwara once more. After finishing a two-year stint with the club, he left JCT in 2004 and joined Churchill Brothers S.C. He left the club after one year and joined

in 2005, which was his last professional football club as an active football player. He left East Bengal in 2006. In the 2020–21 season, Vijayan appeared with Gokulam Kerala's futsal team.

International career

I.M. Vijayan made his debut in international football in the year 1992 and played in a number of tournaments such as

Nehru Cup The Nehru Cup was an international football tournament organised by the All India Football Federation (AIFF), named after the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. It was launched in 1982, but was not held from 1998 to 2006. After ...

, Pre-Olympics,

FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...

World Qualifiers,

SAFF Championship The SAFF Championship (erstwhile SAARC Gold Cup and SAFF Gold Cup), is the primary association football competition contested by the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the South Asian Football Fede ...

and SAF Games. Vijayan and

formed one of the deadliest forward lines the Indian Football team had ever seen, and helped the team score various vital goals in international tournaments. Vijayan was part of the victorious Indian team in the 1999 South Asian Football Federation Cup and scored one of the fastest international goals in history of sport during the tournament, hitting the net against

Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...

after only 12 seconds. He also finished top scorer in the

Afro-Asian Games The Afro-Asian Games were the series of inter-continental multi-sport competitions, held between athletes from Asia and Africa. The event was held only once, in 2003. These Games were unique, since excluding the Olympic Games no other multi-sport ...

event held in India in 2003 with four goals. Vijayan formally retired from international football after the Afro-Asian Games of 2003.

Contributions

Leadership of Magic City FC: In August 2024, I. M. Vijayan led the launch of Magic City FC, Kerala’s first inclusive football team comprising players with disabilities from the Different Art Centre. The team played its inaugural match against former Santosh Trophy players, ending in a 5–5 draw. Vijayan expressed pride in the team's strength and potential, highlighting its significance in promoting inclusivity in sports. Retirement from Kerala Police: In April 2025, Vijayan retired from the Kerala Police, concluding a distinguished career that began when he was recruited at age 17. He rose through the ranks to become an Assistant Commandant, balancing his duties with a prolific football career. His retirement marked the end of an era for the Kerala Police football team.

Career statistics

International

Honours

India *

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

; third place:

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

South Asian Games The South Asian Games is a quadrennial multi-sport event held among athletes from South Asia. The South Asia Olympic Council, which was formed in 1983, governs it. The Games consist of seven countries, namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, N ...

Gold medal:

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

; Silver medal:

; Bronze medal:

Silver Medal:

Santosh Trophy The National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy, or simply Santosh Trophy, is an inter-state national football competition contested by the state associations and government institutions under the All India Football Federation (AIFF), th ...

: 1992–93 runner-up 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1999–2000

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

: 1993–94

Kerala Police The Kerala Police is the law enforcement agency for the Indian state of Kerala. Kerala Police has its headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital. The motto of the force is "Mridhu Bhave Dhrida Kruthye" which means "Soft in Temperament, ...

* Federation Cup: 1990, 1991

* Federation Cup: 1992, 1993, 1994 JCT Mills * Federation Cup: 1995, 1995-96 Individual *

: 2025 *

: 2003 * AIFF Player of the Year: 1992, 1997, 2000 *

Best Player: 1993 *SAARC Gold Cup top scorer:

*Afro-Asian Games top scorer: 1993 *Nominated for

: 2020 *

Doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

from Northern State Medical University,

Arkhangelsk Arkhangelsk (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies on both banks of the Northern Dvina near its mouth into the White Sea. The city spreads for over along the ...

, Russia. * ''Sportskeeda'' All time Indian Football XI

''Kalo Harin''

A biographical film, titled ''Kalo Harin'' and directed by Cherian Joseph, was released in 1998. The title translates as ''blackbuck'' and is a reference to Vijayan's popular nickname during his playing days.

Acting career

After retiring from football, Vijayan started his acting career. His debut was through playing the lead role in the film ''

Shantham ''Shantham'' () is a Malayalam feature film directed by Jayaraj. It stars I M Vijayan, a leading Indian football player of modern times, M G Shashi, Seema Biswas and K P A C Lalitha. The renowned Kathakali artiste Kalamandalam Gopi and the M ...

'', directed by

Jayaraj Jayarajan Rajasekharan Nair, professionally credited as Jayaraj (born 31 May 1960), is an Indian filmmaker, who predominantly works in the Malayalam cinema, Malayalam film industry. He has won many awards, including Crystal Bear at the Berli ...

. Later on, he went to act more than 20 films, in Malayalam & Tamil. In 2021, the movie 'Mmmmm' (sound of pain), starring Vijayan in the lead role was shortlisted as one of India's official entries for the

Oscars The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence i ...

Awards

Vijayan was crowned Indian Player of the Year in 1993, 1997 and 1999, the first player to win the award multiple times. He was also awarded the

in 2003. He received the

in 2025.

Family

Vijayan is married to Raji. He has 3 children: Aromal, Archana and Abhirami. He has a son in law, Abdul Aadil, and a granddaughter named Adeeva.

Other activities

In 2004, he started a sports equipment company named "Boxer Sports Goods Company (BSGC)" in Thrissur. After retirement from active football, Vijayan concentrated his attention upon his football School that he had opened in Thrissur. He was also a member of the now defunct National Congress (Indira). In 2010, Vijayan formally took over a coaching job with

Southern Samity Southern Samity is an Indian professional multi-sports club from Kolkata. Founded in 1945, the club is also based in Siliguri, North Bengal. Apart from sports, they are also involved in numerous cultural activities. Its football section compete ...

, a premier division side in the Calcutta Football League. In March 2017, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, appointed Vijayan as the national observer for football. In October 2018, Vijayan announced that he is starting a film production company called 'Bigdaddy Entertainment' jointly with his friends, which will be mainly revolving around football. In January 2017, Vijayan officially unveiled the club crest of newly formed

I-League The I-League is the men's second professional football division of the Indian football league system behind the Indian Super League. Administered by the All India Football Federation, it is currently contested by 13 clubs. It operates as a s ...

club Gokulam. In February 2021, Vijayan was appointed as the director of Kerala Police Football Academy, a new police football academy, which is going to be set up in

Malappuram Malappuram (also Malapuram) () is a municipality and town in Kerala and the headquarters of the Malappuram district in Kerala, India. It is the List of most populous urban agglomerations in Kerala, 4th largest urban agglomeration in Kerala and ...

. On 2 September 2022, Vijayan was elected as a member of the technical committee of the

Notes

References

External links

I. M. Vijayan Official Website

* * *
Interview with Vijayan in Malayalam

I.M. Vijayan - Movies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vijayan, I. M. 1969 births Footballers from Thrissur Indian men's footballers India men's international footballers Living people Male actors from Thrissur Recipients of the Arjuna Award FC Kochin players East Bengal Club players Muktijoddha Sangsad KC players Male actors in Malayalam cinema Indian male film actors Men's association football forwards Expatriate men's footballers in Bangladesh Indian expatriate men's footballers 21st-century Indian male actors Asian Games competitors for India Footballers at the 1998 Asian Games South Asian Games gold medalists for India South Asian Games silver medalists for India South Asian Games bronze medalists for India South Asian Games medalists in football Medalists at the 1993 South Asian Games Medalists at the 1995 South Asian Games Medalists at the 1999 South Asian Games Indian expatriate sportspeople in Bangladesh Recipients of the Padma Shri in sports