{{Short description|Indian woman football player}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Lynda Kom | image = | image_size = | caption = | fullname = Lynda Kom Serto | birth_date = {{birth date and age|2005|2|28|df=y}} | birth_place = Khoirentak Khunou, Manipur, India | height = 1.54 m<ref name="AFC-squad-list">{{cite web |title=2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup Squad Lists |url=https://assets.the-afc.com/2026_AFC_Womens_Asian_Cup/Finals/Squad_Lists/AFC-Women's-Asian-Cup-Australia-2026%E2%84%A2-Final-Registration---Feb-25upd.pdf?source=url |publisher=Asian Football Confederation |access-date=27 February 2026 }}</ref> | position = Forward | currentclub = Sethu | clubnumber = 9 | youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = | years1 = 2022 | clubs1 = The Young Welfare Club | caps1 = | goals1 = | years2 = 2022–2025 | clubs2 = Odisha | caps2 = 32 | goals2 = 17 | years3 = 2025– | clubs3 = Sethu | caps3 = 7 | goals3 = 7 | nationalyears1 = 2017–2019 | nationalteam1 = India U17 | nationalcaps1 = 5 | nationalgoals1 = 3 | nationalyears2 = 2022 | nationalteam2 = India U20 | nationalcaps2 = 12 | nationalgoals2 = 8 | nationalyears3 = 2024– | nationalteam3 = India | nationalcaps3 = 15 | nationalgoals3 = 6 | club-update = | nationalteam-update = 31 May 2026 }} '''Lynda Kom Serto''' (born 28 February 2005) is an Indian professional footballer from Manipur, who plays as a forward for Sethu in the Indian Women's League<ref>{{Cite web |title=S LYNDA KOM |url=https://www.the-aiff.com/players/profile/81568 |access-date=2024-03-04 |website=www.the-aiff.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=Scroll Staff |date=2023-12-21 |title=IWL 2023-24: Pyari Xaxa, Lynda Kom score as Odisha FC beat Gokulam Kerala |url=https://scroll.in/field/1060908/iwl-2023-24-pyari-xaxa-lynda-kom-score-as-odisha-fc-beat-gokulam-kerala |access-date=2024-03-04 |website=Scroll.in |language=en-US}}</ref> and the India national football team.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=2022-03-30 |title=Young MVP Lynda Kom eyeing more glory for Indian women's football |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football/top-stories/young-mvp-lynda-kom-eyeing-more-glory-for-indian-womens-football/articleshow/90549005.cms |access-date=2024-03-04 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref>
== Early life and education == Lynda hails from Khoirentak Khunou village in Manipur. Her father is a farmer, and her mother runs a stationery shop. She is the youngest of four children.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Orisports.com |url=https://www.orisports.com/PersonDetails.aspx?pId=NjUyOA== |access-date=2024-03-04 |website=www.orisports.com}}</ref> She always used to play with the boys who used to play in the ground, which is close to her house. Despite her father's hesitation, she continued to play with the boys and got selected for the Sports Authority of India Training Centre hostel at Imphal.<ref name=":0" /> Her nickname is Biju, after the Manipuri actress Biju Ningombam.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=ANI |date=2022-03-28 |title=Striker Lynda Kom looks forward to FIFA U-17 World Cup preparations |url=https://theprint.in/sport/striker-lynda-kom-looks-forward-to-fifa-u-17-world-cup-preparations/891790/ |access-date=2024-03-04 |website=ThePrint |language=en-US}}</ref>
== Career == Lynda made her debut for India in 2017, at the SAFF U-15 Women's Championship in Bangladesh.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Dey |first=Aneesh |date=2022-10-07 |title=Lynda Kom, Clara Luvanga, and more: Stars to watch out for at the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup |url=https://sportstar.thehindu.com/football/fifa-u-17-womens-world-cup-football-stars-to-watch-out-for-lynda-kom-clara-luvanga-carla-camacho/article65955261.ece |access-date=2024-03-04 |website=Sportstar |language=en}}</ref> She also played in the U-16 AFC Championship Qualifiers. She performed well for Manipur at the 2019 Junior Nationals at Kolhapur that paved the way for her selection to the 2019 Under-17 World Cup.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> In that tournament, she scored six goals and was awarded the golden boot.<ref name=":2" />
She scored five goals<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-26 |title=Indian team clinches SAFF U-18 Women's Championship title |url=https://www.firstpost.com/sports/indian-team-clinches-saff-u-18-womens-championship-title-10490071.html |access-date=2024-03-04 |website=Firstpost |language=en-us}}</ref> in the SAFF U-18 Women's Championship in Jamshedpur, where India beat Bangladesh on better goal difference and Lynda was declared as the Most Valuable Player<ref>{{Cite web |title=India's 'Most Valuable Player' Lynda Kom Serto from Manipur eyes more goals at FIFA U-17 World Cup |url=https://www.ifp.co.in/manipur/indias-most-valuable-player-lynda-kom-serto-from-manipur-eyes-more-goals-at-fifa-u-17-world-cup |access-date=2024-03-04 |website=Imphal Free Press |language=en}}</ref> after bagging the golden boot for being the top goal scorer.<ref name=":0" />
==Career statistics== ===International=== {{Updated|31 May 2026}} {| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" !National team!!Year!!Caps!!Goals |- | rowspan=3|India |2024 |1 |4 |- |2025 |9 |1 |- |2026 |5 |1 |- ! colspan=2|Total !15 !6 |}
:''Scores and results list India's goal tally first.'' {| class="wikitable" |- |+List of international goals scored by Lynda Kom ! No. !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition |- | 1. || rowspan=4| 30 December 2024 || rowspan=4| Padukone – Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence, Bengaluru, India || rowspan=4| {{fbw|MDV}} || align=center|'''3'''–0 || rowspan=4 align=center| 14–0 || rowspan=4| Friendly |- | 2. || align=center|'''6'''–0 |- | 3. || align=center|'''7'''–0 |- | 4. || align=center|'''10'''–0 |- | 5. || 29 June 2025 || 700th Anniversary Stadium, Chiang Mai, Thailand || {{fbw|TLS}} || align=center|'''4'''–0 || align=center| 4–0 || 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualification |- | 6. || 31 May 2026 || Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Margao, India || {{fbw|BAN}} || align=center|'''2'''–0 || align=center| 3–0 || 2026 SAFF Women's Championship |}
==Honours==
'''Odisha''' *Indian Women's League: 2023–24<ref>{{cite news|title=Odisha FC take home the IWL trophy with stunning ease|url=https://i-league.org/odisha-fc-take-home-the-iwl-trophy-with-stunning-ease/|website=i-league.org|publisher=I-League|date=24 March 2024|access-date=24 March 2024}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [https://www.the-aiff.com/players/profile/81568 Lynda Kom] at All India Football Federation * {{GSA player|lynda-kom/278301}}
{{India squad 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kom, Lynda}} Category:Living people Category:2005 births Category:Indian women's footballers Category:India women's international footballers Category:India women's youth international footballers Category:Footballers from Manipur Category:Sportswomen from Manipur Category:People from Churachandpur district Category:Indian Women's League players Category:Odisha FC Women players Category:Sethu FC players Category:21st-century Indian sportswomen Category:2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup players Category:Women's association football players not categorized by position