Indian football is currently in its growing stage and has gained immense popularity in the last few years. The Indian football team is yet to achieve many big milestones on international level, which are anticipated to get achieved in the upcoming years.
With the rise of Indian football over the years, there have been several players who helped the Indian football team to reach the stage where it is right now. Let’s have a look at top 10 best football players from India.
Best Indian Footballers of All Time
10. Sandesh Jhingan
Sandesh Jhingan is a centre-back, who plays for Indian national football team and FC Goa. He won the AIFF Emerging Player of the Year award in 2014, and finally made his debut for the Indian football team in 2015. Jhingan is one of the great talents in Indian football, who was honored with the Arjuna Award in 2020. He has made 63 appearances for India till now, scoring five goals.
9. Pronay Halder
Pronay Halder plays as defensive midfielder for Jamshedpur FC and the Indian team. Fans even compare him with Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho for his versatile skills in the attack and defense. Halder made his debut for the Indian football team in 2011 and has made 23 appearances for the country so far.
8. Jeje Lalpekhlua
Jeje Lalpekhlua is a former Indian footballer and a striker who has been one of the great talents in Indian football. He won the 2015-16 FPAI Indian Player of the Year and AIFF Men’s Player of the Year awards. Lalpekhlua has played for India from 2011 to 2019, scoring 23 goals in 56 appearances for the country.
7. Jarnail Sin gh
Known for his defense, Jarnail Singh is one of Indian Football greats. He could give a tough fight to any of the strongest teams in the world during his prime days as a tackler. Despite six stitches on his head, Jarnail played a crucial part in India's win in semi final and final of 1962 Asian Games.
6. Chuni Goswami
After making his mark in first-class cricket for Bengal, Chuni Goswami went on to captain the Indian football team that won the Gold Medal in 1962 Asian Games. Playing a striker, Goswami began his football career with Mohun Bagan. He has scored 12 goals in 37 appearances for India.
5. Bhaichung Bhutia
Also known as the torchbearer of Indian football at International stage, Bhaichung Bhutia has been one of India's top goal scorers. The striker from Sikkim has represented Indian Football team 84 times from 1995 to 2011 scoring 27 goals.
4. Pradip Kumar Banerjee
Pradip Kumar Banerjee is someone who played a monumental role in taking Indian Football to the next level in the decade of 1950s and making Indian team the strongest among other Asian football teams. He was a part of the Indian team that made it into the semi-finals of the 1956 Olympics and went on to captain Indian Football team in 1960 Olympics. PK Banerjee has scored 16 goals in 56 appearances for India.
3. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu is someone who has mastered the art of goalkeeping in the Indian football team. He is the first Indian footballer to play in the UEFA European league for Stabæk from 2014 to 2017. Gurpreet has represented Indian football team 73 times since 2011.
2. Subrata Pal
Subrata Pal is among the first footballers from India to get recognition among fans. He gained prominence with his performance for India U-23 in pre-Olympic qualifiers. Subrata has made 67 appearances for the Indian football team from 2007 to 2017.
1. Sunil Chhetri
Probably the best Indian footballer ever, who is in the league of legendary footballers like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ali Daei in terms of scoring goals at international level. Sunil Chhetri has played a monumental role in taking Indian football to new heights in the last few years and is considered as a legend of Indian football. The former Indian footballer is the fourth highest goal-scorer of all time in international football, scoring 94 goals in 151 appearances for India from 2005 to 2024.
