Football in India may have grown tremendously in the recent past and with the advent of ISL, the sport has gained enough fan following amongst the locals. While football was still popular in cities like Kerala, Goa, Kolkata and North East, it has gained a lot of fandom in other parts of India. The sport is followed rigorously today, a lot of Indian stars in the past had to work their way to getting recognition. While the Indian team may not be a part of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022, the craze amongst the fans is evident. From the fan park in Kolkata to Ronaldo and Messi's cutouts in Kerala or the brawl between Argentina and Brazil fans, football fanhood in India is now less than any part of the world. But is it the same for Men in Blue?
The Indian team is growing into the ranks and their recent performance speaks volume about their growth. South Korea, Japan and Australia qualified for the ongoing FIFA World Cup Round of 16 from the Asian region made it the first occasion when Asian teams outnumbered the South American qualification for the knockouts.
But does it mean Indian fans can pin their hopes for Indian football's qualification in the near future? Will it happen? Only time will tell. India although have had tremendous servants of the game football in the past that also includes the current batch. Lets look at some of the notable names who have led to India's growth in the World of Football
Sunil Chhetri (2002-present)
Sunil Chhetri is widely regarded as the best Indian footballer of all time. He plays for, and captains, Bengaluru in the Indian Super League (ISL).
Impressively, as of October 2021, Chhetri was the joint second highest international goal scorer currently playing. He has made a total of 120 appearances for the Indian national team at time of writing.
P. K. Banerjee (1954-1967)
P. K. Banerjee was a striker who played for the Indian national team on 45 occasions and also captained the team.
He was one of the first recipients of the Arjuna award, in 1961. He also received the Padma Shri in 1990. In 2004, Banerjee received the FIFA Order of Merit which is the highest honour that FIFA awards.
Subrata Pal (2004-present)
Subrata Pal is a goalkeeper who plays for ATK Mohun Bagan in the ISL. He has also played internationally at every age level.
Pal first became a well-known name to Indian football fans when he played for the under-23 team in pre-Olympic qualifiers and his saves enabled the team to qualify for the group stage after being successful in a penalty shoot-out against Myanmar.
Bhaichung Bhutia (1993-2015)
Bhaichung Bhutia is a former striker who played internationally for India on 80 occasions. His nickname was the Sikkimese Sniper due to his shooting prowess. Bhutia is widely regarded as a torchbearer for Indian football on the international stage.
Jeje Lalpekhlua (2008- present)
Jeje Lalpekhlua is regarded by many as being one of the best Indian footballers of all time. This is not surprising given that he is the second highest goal scorer in the history of the ISL.
In recognition of his skills and success, Lalpekhlua won the 2015–16 FPAI Indian Player of the Year and the AIFF Men’s Player of the Year Award.
Sailen Manna (1940-1960)
Sailen Manna is the only Indian footballer to have been named as one of the 10 Best Captains in the World by the English FA. He received this accolade in 1953 when he was at the height of his prowess.
The skilled defender played for Mohun Bagan in India and represented his country at the Olympics and the Asian games.
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (2009-present)
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu plays in goal for Bengaluru in the ISL. He has also made 50 appearances for his country (at time of writing).
Sandhu was also the fifth Indian to play professionally in Europe, for Norwegian club Stabæk. While he was at this club Sandhu became the first Indian to play in the UEFA Europa League.
Tulsidas Balaram (1956-1962)
Tulsidas Balaram played for East Bengal F.C., Kolkata during the 1950s and 1960s. He is regarded by many as being one of the best forwards to have played the game in India. Balaram also represented his country 27 times and went on to be a coach of Kolkata Mayor’s XI.
Sandesh Jhinghan (2011-present)
Sandesh Jhingan is a centre back who plays for ATK Mohun Bagan. He also previously played for Kerala Blasters and holds the record for the greatest number of appearances for that team (at time of writing). Jhinghan has also made 42 appearances for the national team (at time of writing). In recognition of all his achievements he received the Arjuna Award in 2020 and was named 2020–21 AIFF Men’s Player of the Year.
Mohammed Salim (1926-1938)
The British Raj was still in existence when Mohammed Salim was playing football. He was part of the famous Mohammedan SC team in the 1930s.
He was also the first player from India to play for a European club when he joined Celtic FC.
