The 10 best Indian footballers of all time

Football is not a new sport in India. It was first played during colonial times when military teams competed against each other. Over the years since then, many people in the country have chosen to play the sport.

However, it’s only in recent years that the popularity of football has started to soar. Today, more than ever, there is interest in the sport and its top players, past and present.

“In fact, football is one of the sports that has benefitted the most from a rise in the Indian gambling market. More and more football fans now not only watch but also visit football betting sites to place bets on their favorite players and teams,” said Vasudha Dewan, the Editor of MyBettingSites India, a comparison site for football betting sites.

We have collated a list of ten of the top Indian players from the past and present day of the sport. These players managed to reach their levels by training hard on a regular basis combined with top recovery procedures. Some players like to use CBD balm for recovery.

Sunil Chhetri

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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