Indian Football Players have gradually surfaced as iconic figures in the Indian sporting scene. Nowadays, the game of football is counted among the most popular sports in India. The country has produced many talented and legendary Football Players over the past several years. The Indian Football Players have shown brilliant performances on the home ground and in various international tournaments as well. They have also earned recognition from the people of many countries for their dexterity. As far as the national team is concernedIndian Football Players from different parts of the country are part of this team. These players have consistently played for the prestigious Indian football clubs like Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Mohammedan Sporting Club etc. Most of the Indian Football Players hail from Indian states like West Bengal, Goa, Sikkim and Punjab.
The legendary players like Gostha Pal, Jarnail Singh Dhillon, Subimal Chuni Goswami, Peter Thangaraj, Sailendra Nath Manna, P.K. Banerjee, Baichung Bhutia and others have shown their excellence on field. Gostha Pal is considered the hero for Mohun Bagan club. On the other hand, the footballers like Thangaraj, Chuni Goswami, Dhillon, P.K. Banerjee, etc. have helped India to emerge as winner in many prestigious football tournaments at home and abroad. Baichung Bhutia is considered as the superstar of Indian football at the moment, as he has earned worldwide fame and recognition. He has shown his brilliance in almost all the matches that he has played so far for the Indian national football team.
Some of the legendary Indian Football Players are detailed below:
Gostha Pal
Gostha Pal is a legendary name in Indian football. Though he used to play barefoot, Pal was considered one of the best defenders in India during his days. He was the first footballer to receive the prestigious "Padma Shri" award in 1962.
Sailendra Nath Manna
Sailen Manna is termed the greatest leader Indian football has ever produced. Under the leadership of the mercurial defender, India won the Gold Medal in the 1951 Asian Games and also won the Quadrangular Tournament for 4 successive years from 1952 to 1956.
Sunil Chhetri
Sunil Chhetri is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Indian club Bengaluru FC and the Indian national team. He is the current Indian captain and is also the country"s all-time record goal scorer in international matches with 54 goals.
Climax Lawrence
Climax Lawrence has been an exemplary player for the Indian national team for a decade. He was an integral part of the Indian national team in the 2000s.
Subrata Pal
Subrata Pal is an Indian professional footballer who currently plays for DSK Shivajians in the I-League.
Subimal Chuni Goswami
Subimal Chuni Goswami was a gem of a footballer known for his versatility. He was the captain of the Indian team which won the 1962 Asian Games at Jakarta. He was named the best striker in Asia in 1962 and won the Arjuna award in 1963.
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Norwegian Tippeligaen club and is the current captain of the India national team.
Rehenesh Thumbirumbu Paramba
Rehenesh Thumbirumbu Paramba is an Indian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for North East United in the Indian Super League.
Arnab Kumar Mondal
Arnab Kumar Mondal is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Atletico de Kolkata in the Indian Super League on loan from I-League club East Bengal.
Narayan Das
Narayan Das is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a left back for East Bengal on loan from Pune City in the Indian Super League.
Jeje Lalpekhlua
Jeje Lalpekhlua is an Indian footballer who plays for Chennaiyin. In 2015, he won the I-league with Mohun Bagan and the Indian Super League with Chennaiyin and was named the FPAI Football Player of the Year.
Sandesh Jhingan
Sandesh Jhingan is a defending player and plays for the Kerala Blasters of the Indian Super League and the India football team.
The present day Indian Football Players have been consistently performing in different tournaments. Players such as Baljit Sahni, Karanjit Singh, Mahesh Gawli, Pronoy Halder, Debabrata Roy, Raju Gaikwad, Sangram Mukherjee, Gouramangi Singh, Rakesh Masih, I M Vijayan, Alvito de Counha, Shanmugam Venkatesh, Sushil Kumar Singh, Lalrindika Ralte, Jackichand Singh and others have been playing extraordinary well for their country. These Indian Football Players have, in fact, helped the Indian team clinch the prestigious SAFF Cup, ASIAD, Nehru Cup, etc. in the recent years.
