Michel Castanha

Michel Castanha
Personal information
Full name Michel Margaret Castanha
Date of birth (1992-12-23) 23 December 1992
Place of birth Curtorim, Goa, India
Position Defender
Youth career
Bodyline Club
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Bodyline Club
Panjim Footballers
2016–2017 Pune City
2017–2018 India Rush Soccer
2018 Churchill Brothers
2019–2021 Gokulam Kerala
2021–2022 Sethu
2022–2023 Gokulam Kerala
2023 Sesa FA
2023–2024 East Bengal
2025 Sribhumi
International career‡
2009 India U20
2018–2023 India 8 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals
‡ National team caps and goals as of 2023

Michel Margaret Castanha (born 23 December 1992) is an Indian football coach and former footballer who played as a defender for the India women's national football team.[1]

Early life

Castanha hails from Curtorim and began her career at the age of eight playing for a Bodyline Club from Maharashtra.

Career

Castanha made her debut in the Under-17 Nationals at the age of 12 in Chandigarh in 2005. In the Indian top tier, Castanha played for Pune City and India Rush Soccer in 2016 and 2017 editions.[2] Castanha has spent two seasons with Gokulam Kerala FC in the IWL and was part of the title-winning squad in 2019 and 2022 editions. She also played for Sethu FC which finished runners-up in the 2021 season.[3]

She made her debut for the Indian national team at the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers 2018 in South Korea.[4] She was part of the national team which won the SAFF Championship and the South Asian Games in 2019.[5] She was part of the Indian team which participated in the 2022 AFC Asian Cup[6] but withdrew due to COVID pandemic. In July 2023, she was selected for the Senior India camp to be held at Bhubaneshwar from July 30 for the AFC Olympic Qualifiers[7] Round II which was held at Tashkent.

Coaching

Since 2025, Castanha has transitioned into coaching following stints with Goa Football Development Council[8] and state's AIFF-FIFA Talent Development Scheme for girls.[9][10]

Honours

India

Gokulam Kerala

Sethu

Panjim Footballers

References

  1. ↑ "Michel Castanha". www.the-aiff.com. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  2. ↑ "India Rush Soccer Club hopes to make the best of their IWL opportunity after backdoor entry". scroll.in. 25 March 2018. Archived from the original on 26 March 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  3. ↑ "Castanha excited to be part of India camp". thegoan.net. 23 August 2021. Archived from the original on 24 August 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  4. ↑ "Michel CASTANHA, Goa'S RISING star". heraldgoa.in. 7 November 2017.
  5. ↑ "Michel Castanha, the only Goan named in India women's football squad". gomantaktimes.com. 28 September 2021.
  6. ↑ "Women's national team to start first camp since COVID-19 lockdown on December 1". The Times of India. 21 November 2020. Archived from the original on 25 September 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  7. ↑ IANS (26 July 2023). "Indian Women's Football Team; 34 players selected for training camp in Bhubaneswar". www.thestatesman.com. Archived from the original on 6 October 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  8. ↑ "Meet the Mentor: Michel Castanha of GFDC Navelim". gfdc. Retrieved 30 March 2026.
  9. ↑ "Goa football achievers selected for key roles in AIFF–FIFA Talent Development Scheme". The Goan. 11 December 2025.
  10. ↑ "Prakash, Michel to coach at AIFF–FIFA talent academy". The Times of India. 11 December 2025.


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