Nishan Velupillay

Early career

Velupillay began playing junior football with Endeavour United before moving to the football technique school (FTS) based at Glen Eira, where his ability soon stood out. He then played for Bentleigh Greens at the under-18 and under-20 levels before progressing to their senior team and earning a four-week trial with Melbourne Victory.

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 goal in a 2–1 win over Adelaide United. In the 2024 finals series, Velupillay scored a late goal in the 88th minute in an elimination final against Melbourne City, to make the scores level and put the match into extra-time. In the 2024-25 season Velupillay became the top goal-scorer for Melbourne Victory in all competitions, and the joint top goal-scorer for the club in the regular season. Unfortunately Velupillay would miss out on playing in the 2025 A-League Grand final against Melbourne City due to an injury.

FC Ingolstadt 04

On 18 August 2026, Velupillay joined FC Ingolstadt 04 of 3. Liga for an undisclosed fee.

In October 2024, Velupillay was called up by Australia national coach 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. Further goals from Velupillay for the Socceroos came in the March qualifying window for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He scored in both games that window, first against Indonesia and then followed by China 5 days later, with this being the second time he had scored against the Chinese national team. These two goals were a part of a 6 game scoring streak for Velupillay for club and country. On 31 May 2026, Velupillay was named in Australia's 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He made his World Cup debut on 13 June 2026 against Turkey, coming on in the 61st minute of a 2–0 win. He was reported as the first player of Tamil heritage, and the first of Malaysian descent, to appear at a FIFA World Cup.

Club statistics

As of 3 June 2025

International

As of match played 19 June 2026

Scores and results list Australia's goal tally first.

International goals

Velupillay was born on 7 May 2001 in Melbourne. His father, Sasinath, is of Sri Lankan Tamil descent with Malaysian roots, and his mother, Gillian, is Anglo-Indian. He grew up in Melbourne, where he attended Mazenod College in Mulgrave, and later studied finance, although travel commitments made it difficult to continue. Velupillay came from a football-following family; his father had played the game, and an older brother played and coached at the football technique school (FTS) that Velupillay attended. The family supported Melbourne Victory, and as a child Velupillay was in the crowd for the club's 6–0 win over Adelaide United in the 2007 A-League Grand Final. He began playing at the age of five but took little interest at first, becoming more committed once he started scoring goals. As a youngster he admired attacking players such as Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo. As a teenager in the FTS program at Glen Eira, Velupillay was coached by Jasper Kristensen, who recalled that he showed strong technique and understanding of the game from an early age but was shy and reserved, with "a volcano in there". Velupillay plateaued during his adolescent growth, a stage at which many promising players lose momentum, but he persisted with what Kristensen described as calm and consistent support from his parents, while several of his highly rated contemporaries left the game.