• Source: Sabitra Bhandari

Sabitra Bhandari (Nepali: साबित्रा भण्डारी), popularly known as Samba, is a Nepalese professional football player who plays as a forward for Première Ligue club En Avant Guingamp and Nepal women's national team.
She is the all-time highest goal scorer in Nepalese football history and broke record as the highest woman goal scorer in South Asia with 49 goals. She made history by being the first Nepalese player to play and score in European league.




Career


At club level, Bhandari plays for APF Club. Bhandari made the Nepal team for the 2014 South Asian Football Federation Championship and made her international debut against Bhutan, coming off the bench and sealing an 8–0 victory as a 17-year-old. In February 2017 she was invited to play the Maldives women's league.
She became the highest scoring women striker of south Asia at the age of 20.




= Sethu FC

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She joined Indian Women's League side Sethu FC for the 2018-19 Indian Women's League season. In her debut match she scored 4 goals for the club against Manipur Police Sports Club on 6 May 2019. She was also awarded with women of the match in her first match with Sethu FC.
She scored almost two goals a game during her time in India, leading Sethu FC to winning Indian Women’s League title.




= Gokulam Kerala FC

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Bhandari joined Gokulam Kerala FC for the 2019–2020 season, and eventually won the League championship title and was the league top scorer with 16 goals.
After joining Gokulam Kerala FC again for the 2023 season, she continued her phenomenal prolificacy, managing league top scorer 31 goals, including five hat-tricks, to fire her club to league glory.
This lead her to lifting her third Indian Women’s League trophy.




= Hapoel Ra’anana

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Bhandari joined Hapoel Ra’anana but the 7 October attack cut her spell short after 5 goals in two games.




= En Avant Guingamp

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She made her debut on Feb 3rd, 2024 coming as a substitute on 78th minute. She is the first Nepalese player to play and score in European league.




International career


Bhandari represents Nepal at the international level. She participated in and even scored a goal against Bhutan at the 2014 SAFF Women's Championship. She represented the country during the 2016 South Asian Games where she scored two goals against Sri Lanka. She scored the only goal in a friendly victory against Malaysia on 17 December 2016.
Bhandari then played in Nepal's first match of the 2016 SAFF Women's Championship against Bhutan. She scored six goals as Nepal won 8–0 to open the tournament and scored 5 goals against Maldives in the 2nd group match.




Career statistics






= Club

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= International

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= International goals

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Honours


Sethu FC

Indian Women's League: 2018–19
Gokulam Kerala

Indian Women's League: 2019–20, 2022–23
Individual

Indian Women's League Top Scorer: 2019–20, 2022–23
Top Goal Scorer of 2016 SAFF Women's Championship,
Best Player of Pradhansenapati International women's football tournament 2013,
Seventh National Game Of Nepal 2013 women's football top goal scorer,
2019 Pulsar Sports Award woman's Player Of The year.




See also


List of top international women's football goal scorers by country




References

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Tim nasional sepak bola wanita Nepal
• Sabitra Bhandari
• Bhandari
• Nepal women's national football team
• 2024 WAFF Women's Championship
• 2024 SAFF Women's Championship
• En Avant Guingamp (women)
• SAFF Women's Championship
• En Avant Guingamp
• List of top international women's football goalscorers by country
• 2022–23 Indian Women's League