Who is Jyoti Chauhan, the first Indian footballer who scored thrice for European soccer powerhouse?

Her much-famed compatriots such as Bhaichung Bhutia and Sunil Chhetri couldn't match her feat. When she scored a hat-trick for her Croatian soccer club, becoming the first Indian footballer to score in any European football league, she gave a statement through her superlative display of the power game.

Hyderabad: Jyoti Chauhan, an ex-Gokulam Kerala FC player in the Indian Women’s League (IWL), won many hearts in far-off Europe, away from her home and hearth in nondescript Madhya Pradesh village, when she scripted a new course in unchartered territory in that continent.

The 'dream big' girl, who fought the language barrier and poverty with success, is now a name to reckon with in the Croatian football arena. Her much-famed compatriots such as Bhaichung Bhutia and Sunil Chhetri couldn't even match her feat. When she scored a hat-trick for her Croatian soccer club, becoming the first Indian footballer to score in any European football league, she gave a statement through her superlative display of the power game.

• Watch Jyoti Chauhan's historic hat-trick in Croatian Women's League Championship Round, making her the first Indian Footballer to score a hat-trick in an European top division league.
  
  Credits: (ŽNK Dinamo Zagreb) https://t.co/8MIuZNz4zZ#IndianFootballhttps://t.co/dcE24kX8zn pic.twitter.com/58ZxoZ2mTs

  — Indian Football Fan (@FootbalIndiaFan) May 23, 2023 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="

  Watch Jyoti Chauhan's historic hat-trick in Croatian Women's League Championship Round, making her the first Indian Footballer to score a hat-trick in an European top division league.
  
  Credits: (ŽNK Dinamo Zagreb) https://t.co/8MIuZNz4zZ#IndianFootballhttps://t.co/dcE24kX8zn pic.twitter.com/58ZxoZ2mTs

  — Indian Football Fan (@FootbalIndiaFan) May 23, 2023

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  Watch Jyoti Chauhan's historic hat-trick in Croatian Women's League Championship Round, making her the first Indian Footballer to score a hat-trick in an European top division league.
  
  Credits: (ŽNK Dinamo Zagreb) https://t.co/8MIuZNz4zZ#IndianFootballhttps://t.co/dcE24kX8zn pic.twitter.com/58ZxoZ2mTs

  — Indian Football Fan (@FootbalIndiaFan) May 23, 2023

On Friday, Jyoti, who hails from Sardapur, signed a one-year contract with the side. She became the soccer team's first foreign player ahead of this season. Last season, her hat trick in European top-flight football against ZNK Agram in the Croatian league gave her a 'fairytale fame.'

"I am delighted to join WFC Dinamo Zagreb for another season and hope to give my best for the club. Last season was a learning one and eye opener for me while this season I am looking to do my best to take the team higher up the table and push for glory," she said.

Dinamo Zagreb is the most successful club in the history of the Croatian league, having won a record-breaking 46 trophies. Their men’s football team competed in the UEFA Champions League 2022–23 group stage with powerhouses like AC Milan and Chelsea.

The contract renewal happened through her continued good performance during the second edition of the Elite Women's Trials, organised by the Women in Sports Forum in association with the AMPL Foundation & Football Players' Association of India. Jyoti was first scouted by the club in the first edition of the trials held in June 2022. She has been performing well at the club and the contract renewal with WFC Dinamo Zagreb came as a combination of both her international performance and her performance at the Elite Trials held in June end 2023.

The footballer has already reached Croatia and will be joining training with the team. The second edition of 'Women in Sports Elite Football Trials' witnessed 27 women footballers undergoing trials for five Australian and two European clubs. Head coaches of Western United FC Melbourne, Adelaide United FC, Perth SC, WFC Dinamo Zagreb of Croatia and Marbella FC of Spain had come down to AIFF's National Centre of Excellence in Kolkata at the end of June to conduct the trials.

She had appeared for a trial in Rangers WFC, Marbella FC, Western Sydney Wanders FC and Melbourne Victory FC before finally she was selected and offered a professional contract by Dinamo Zagreb. The former Gokulam Kerala player has scored 10 goals in 18 matches in the Croatian Women’s First Football League and hopes that she would be offered an extension by the club.