Nishan Velupillay

Nishan Velupillay
	Velupillay in 2023
Personal information
Full name	Nishan Velupillay
Date of birth	7 May 2001 (age 23)
Place of birth	Melbourne, Australia
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Winger
Team information
Current team	Melbourne Victory
Number	17
Youth career
	Endeavour United
	Glen Eira FC
Senior career*
Years	Team
2019–2022	Melbourne Victory NPL
2021–	Melbourne Victory
International career‡
2023–2024	Australia U23
2024–	Australia
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 26 May 2024; ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21 April 2024

Nishan Velupillay (born 7 May 2001) is an Australian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Melbourne Victory and the Australia national team.^[2]

Early life

Velupillay was born in Melbourne, Victoria to parents of Jaffna Tamil origin and attended Mazenod College, Mulgrave.^[3]

Club career

Early career

Velupillay began his career in the youth academy at Glen Eira FC, FTS (football technique school).^[4]

Melbourne Victory

Velupillay signed his first professional contract with Melbourne Victory in 2019. He made his professional debut for the club on 19 May 2021, coming on as a substitute in a 0–2 defeat against Sydney. On 11 December 2021, Velupillay scored his first professional goal, netting the winning in a 2–1 win over Adelaide United.^[5]

International career

In October 2024, Velupillay was called up by Tony Popovic ahead of their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against China and Japan. On 10 October, in the match against China, he came off the bench in the 83rd minute to replace Mitchell Duke to mark off his international debut. 7 minutes later, he scored his first international goal to seal a 3–1 win.