NEW DELHI, July 18: Aditi Chauhan says she didn't know that a national women's football team existed in India when she kicked the ball for the first time.
Nearly two decades later, she retires as a trailblazer, having become the first Indian woman to play professional football in Europe.
"Playing football, I didn't know there was a national team first of all. So I started because of the fun of the game," the 32-year-old recalled in an interview with PTI Videos.
"When I started, I never imagined that, you know, everything that I achieved... it was not even a dream that I could imagine," she said.
Chauhan is not entering full-time coaching immediately but is open to helping out the next generation of players achieve their goals in top-flight football and for that, she is pursuing professional courses.
The former India women's team goalkeeper, who has announced her retirement from the game after a career spanning 17 years, during which time she has won many laurels with the national team as well as with her clubs, now wants to focus on developing new players.
"I would love to. These last few years also, I've been mentoring the other goalkeepers. I enjoy that role," she said.
She's completed her goalkeeping level 1 coaching course and wants to do more.
"I don't want to commit that I want to get into coaching. But yes, I would definitely like to help out," the former India women's number one custodian said.
During a successful international career, Chauhan, who caught everyone's attention after being signed up by West Ham United for the Women's Super League in England in 2015, donned the India jersey 57 times and, among others, was part of the senior teams that won the SAFF Women's Championship in 2012, 2016 and 2019.
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