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From Chuni Goswami to Sunil Chhetri: legendary figures who revolutionized Indian football

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The Indian football team is currently ranked 100th in the FIFA rankings and 18th in Asia.

Sunil Chhetri is India’s all-time top goalscorer. (Image: Twitter/AIFF)

India’s ‘Golden Era’ in football was between 1950 and ’60s when the national team won two gold medals in the Asian Games, finished fourth in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and finished second in the 1964 AFC Asian Cup. years marked a glorious chapter in India’s history.

Over time, Indian football has also changed for the better and is currently ranked 100th in the latest FIFA rankings released on Thursday. Let’s take a look at some of the best individuals who have made an impact on the country’s football with their useful contribution.

# Sunil Chhetri: Undoubtedly, Sunil Chhetri is the figurehead of Indian football. One of the greatest footballers of the generation in the country, the 38-year-old has scored 92 international goals for India to date and is third behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the list of all-time active goalscorers at international level. His skill, consistency and leadership have made Chhetri one of the iconic figures in Indian football.

# Bhaichung Bhutia: Another legend of the game, Bhaichung Bhutia is considered to be the pioneer of Indian football. Bhutia was the first Indian football player to ply his trade abroad before the likes of Gurpreet Singh, Subrata Paul and Sunil Chhetri followed in his footsteps and tried their luck outside India. Nicknamed ‘Sikkimese Sniper’, Bhutia’s technical ability and goal-scoring ability set him apart from the rest.

#IM Vijayan: Widely regarded as one of the most talented footballers, IM Vijayan was versatile in multiple positions and played a vital role in the development of Indian football in the 1990s and early 2000s. Nicknamed ‘Kalo Harin’ (Black Buck), Vijayan was crowned Indian Player of the Year in 1993, 1997 and 1999 and was the first to win the award multiple times.

#Cuni Goswami: One of the legendary footballers of the 1950s and 1960s, Chuni Goswami has the distinction of playing first-class cricket for Bengal and professional football at the same time. He played as a striker and winger, and also captained Mohun Bagan and the Indian national team. He has represented India at the Olympics, Asian Games, Asia Cup and Merdeka Cup and led the national team to gold at the 1962 Asian Games and a silver at the 1964 AFC Asian Cup. Under Goswami’s guidance, Bengal played the cricket final of the Ranji Trophy in 1971-72. Goswami passed away on April 30, 2020.

# PK Banerjee: Along with Chuni Goswami, PK Banerjee is regarded as one of the legends of Indian football and represented India in the 1960 Rome Olympics. After playing a striker, Banerjee captained India and later became the national coach’s coach. In 45 appearances for India, Banerjee scored 15 goals. Known for his technical skills, Banerjee represented Eastern Railways and Mohun Bagan at club level and left a lasting impression. Banerjee died on March 20, 2020.

#Syed Abdul Rahim: Syed Abdul Rahim, known as ‘Rahim Saab’, failed to achieve success as a footballer, but is regarded as one of the best football coaches India ever produced in the 1950s and 1960s. Under Rahim’s leadership, India won gold at the 1951 Asian Games and finished fourth at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.






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