In a big boost to Indian football, two players from the women's team have signed one-year contracts with Croatian-based football outfit Dinamo Zagreb, becoming their first overseas recruits. Soumya Guguloth and her Gokulam Kerala FC teammate Jyoti Chouhan confirmed that they had signed a contract with the Croatian club on the transfer deadline day.
The duo were signed after a successful trial in Croatia. Both the players were a part of the side that won the Indian Women's League in 2021 with Gokulam Kerala FC. They are also the first-ever international players for the Dinamo Zagreb women's football team.
"I'm very excited to play out of the country this is a great opportunity for me. I never expected to play for a club like Dinamo. This will be helpful for me and my family and my country. I hope to give my best during the season. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported me," said Soumya.
"This is a great opportunity for me, and I feel lucky that I got this platform. I will use this platform and give my 100% and will work hard to learn more and perform better when I am at Zagreb, Croatia, representing Dinamo," said Jyoti as she prepares to join her Gokulam teammate for this season at Dinamo.
Dinamo Zagreb is the most successful club in Croatia having won 46 trophies. Their men's team is in the UEFA Champions League 2022-23 group stage, alongside European powerhouses like Chelsea and AC Milan.
The women's team ZNK Dinamo Zagreb has similar ambitions and hopes that the two players from India can help them achieve their goals. "Step by step the puzzle was put together and in the seventh year of the club's existence (since becoming the women's team of Dinamo Zagreb), we took a step higher. I believe that the girls that are coming will justify the coach’s trust," said ZNK Dinamo club president, Josipa Maslać Petričević.
Head coach Marija M. Damjanović said the duo would boost the team. "I'm satisfied. We are signing players that are necessary for boosting our team." Croatia is among the top performing countries in the world and made it to the FIFA World Cup final in 2018 where they lost to France.
Soumya and Jyoti were among the 12 players who took part in the recently-held Women In Sports trials held in Kolkata.
The players were coached, assessed, and trained by coaches from five international clubs (Rangers WFC, Marbella FC, ZNK Dinamo Zagreb, Western Sydney Wanders FC, and Melbourne Victory FC) in the hopes of getting selected and being offered a professional contract.
They also played two friendly matches with the local boys' teams in Kolkata. While all coaches were pleasantly surprised by the level, technique, and experience of the two Indian women, ZNK Dinamo Zagreb was quick to call Jyoti and Soumya to Croatia for their pre-season and extended trials.
