Kajol D’Souza: A Journey Built on Courage, Progress and Ambition
Some football journeys are carefully planned. Others are built one challenge at a time.
For Kajol D’Souza, it has been the latter.
From playing football with boys in her neighbourhood in Pune to representing India at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, earning senior international honours and taking her career abroad, Kajol has consistently shown the courage to step into unfamiliar territory and compete.
Today, she continues that journey as a professional midfielder with Al-Amal SC in Saudi Arabia.
At Valueletes, we are proud to represent Kajol and to support a career that continues to move forward.
It Started in Pune
Kajol’s love for football began in 2014. With few opportunities for girls to play organised football around her, she often found herself playing small-sided games with her brother and his friends.
Those games became an important part of her development.
Playing against boys pushed her to react faster, improve her technique and find intelligent solutions when faced with physical challenges. Kajol herself has spoken about how those experiences helped shape her understanding of the game.
Her talent soon became difficult to ignore.
She progressed through programmes including the LaLiga Football Schools in Pune, represented Maharashtra at the School Games Federation of India Nationals and later joined Parikrama FC. Her performances eventually opened the door to India’s youth national-team setup.
From Pune to the World Cup
One of the defining moments of Kajol’s early career came in 2022 when she represented India at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
She featured in India’s group-stage matches against the United States, Morocco and Brazil, gaining valuable experience against some of the world’s best young players.
For Kajol, the tournament was more than an achievement. It was proof that the journey she had started on the pitches of Pune could take her onto the global stage.
And she was not done.
Finding Her Voice in Club Football
Kajol’s development continued with Sethu FC, where she quickly became an important attacking presence.
In the 2022/23 Indian Women’s League season, she scored 14 goals in 18 appearances, including four goals in Sethu’s opening match against Churchill Brothers.
Her performances reinforced something that had been evident throughout her development: Kajol possesses an instinct for influencing games from midfield and contributing in the final third.
Her club journey later took her to Odisha FC and, through a loan spell, Kickstart Karnataka, before another major opportunity arrived.
Wearing the India Shirt
Kajol’s progression through India’s national-team pathway has been equally significant.
After representing India at youth level, she continued through the U20 setup before making her senior national-team debut in 2024.
She announced herself emphatically at senior level, scoring twice in India’s 14–0 friendly victory over the Maldives in December 2024. She added another goal in the return fixture a few days later, taking her early senior international tally to three goals in two appearances.
That progression — from U17 international to U20 player and then senior international — reflects the consistency of Kajol’s development.
A New Challenge Abroad
In 2025, Kajol took another significant step by moving outside India to join Al-Amal SC in Saudi Arabia.
For us at Valueletes, this is an important part of her story.
Playing abroad demands adaptation. A new league, new teammates, new football culture and new expectations all require a player to grow.
Kajol has embraced that challenge.
Her performances in Saudi Arabia have already produced memorable moments, including a hat-trick for Al-Amal that was reported as the first by an Indian player for a Saudi Arabian club.
It is another milestone in a career that has repeatedly taken her beyond familiar territory.
What We See in Kajol
What makes Kajol’s journey particularly exciting is not simply the milestones she has already achieved.
It is her appetite for the next one.
She has progressed through different levels of the game, adapted to new environments and continued to seek opportunities that challenge her. Her technical development, attacking instincts and experience across different levels of the game give her a strong foundation for the years ahead.
And we believe there is much more to come.
At Valueletes, our role is not simply to celebrate where our players are today. We are committed to helping them build careers that can stand the test of time, both on and off the pitch.
Kajol’s story is one we are proud to be part of.