Day by day, football is increasing in India. In a country, cricket is overpowered compared to every other sport, but football is slowly taking its shape. India has a good history in football, winning the Asian Games in 1951 and 1962. When we look back, we need to talk about the Greatest Indian Footballers of All Time. All India Football Federation (AIFF)manages all the activities of Indian football.
With new talents coming from every part of the country, this team has a lot of talent to bring back the glory days of Indian Football, but the question is, will the system be fair to the players in terms of providing good infrastructure, football grounds and most importantly the grass roots should be proper by making a proper acedeamies for the youth.
In this article, we will talk about the Greatest Indian players of all time, but some of the promising young talent in Indian football right now are: Lallianzuala Chhangte, Vikram Pratap Singh, Anwar Ali, Abdul Samad, Liston Colaco, Naorem Mahesh Singh, and Apuia Ralte.
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List of Top 10 Greatest Indian Footballers of All Time
From the 1950s, India has produced some of the best players, competed with high-profile teams, and achieved the best outcomes. Let us have a look at the top players:
Sunil Chhetri
There is no doubt in this when we called Sunil Chhetri the Greatest Indian Footballer of all time. He made his debut in 2005 against Pakistan. Since then, he has played more than 150 matches and scored 95 goals for India. He is the fourth-highest goal scorer in the world behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Ali Daei.
Sunil Chhetri is also honoured with the Arjuna Award, Padma Shri, and Khel Ratna. He announced his retirement last year, but this year, he came out of retirement to help his team.
| Full Name | Sunil Chhetri |
| Date of Birth | August 3, 1984 (Secunderabad, India) |
| Club & Position | Bengaluru FC (since 2017) – Forward |
| International Career | India (since 2005) |
| Notable Achievements | Seven-time AIFF Player of the Year, Four-time SAFF Championship Winner, 2008 AFC Challenge Cup Winner |
Bhaichung Bhutia
Every Indian football fan has at some point heard the name of Bhaichung Bhutia. He is the pioneer when it comes to the global recognition of Indian Football. He made his international debut in 1995, when he was just 18 years old.
Bhaichung Bhutia is also referred to as “Sikkimese Sniper”. He signed a contract with an English club in 1999, which made him the first Indian to do so.
| Full Name | Bhaichung Bhutia |
| Date of Birth | December 15, 1976 (Tinkitam, Sikkim, India) |
| Club & Position | East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, Bury FC – Striker |
| International Career | India (1995–2011) |
| Notable Achievements | 3× SAFF Championship Winner, AFC Challenge Cup Winner (2008), First Indian to play professional football in Europe |
| Highest Position | India’s second-most capped player (84 matches, 27 goals) |
PK Banerjee
Pradip Kumar Banerjee, popularly known as PK Banerjee, has seen the golden days of Indian football. He made his debut in 1955 and played as a winger as well as a forward at times. PK Banerjee, with Chuni Goswami and Tulsidas Balaram, were known as the holy trinity of Indian Football.
He also won the gold medal in the 1962 Asian Games and was a part of the team in the 1956 and 1960 Olympics. For his contribution, he was awarded the Arjuna Award and the FIFA Centennial Order of Merit.
| Full Name | Pradip Kumar Banerjee |
| Date of Birth | June 23, 1936 (Jalpaiguri, Bengal Presidency, British India) |
| Date of Death | March 20, 2020 (Kolkata, India) |
| Club & Position | Eastern Railway – Striker |
| International Career | India (1955–1966) |
| Notable Achievements | 1962 Asian Games Gold Medalist, 1964 AFC Asian Cup Runner-up, FIFA Order of Merit (2004) |
| Highest Position | Indian Footballer of the 20th Century (IFFHS) |
Chuni Goswami
The captain of the Indian Football team in the 1962 Asian Games led his team to a gold medal. He played as a forward for his team. Chuni Goswami made his debut in 1956. The best player of his game was the sportsmanship he showed on the pitch, no matter what the situation was.
He played around 50 games for India and scored nine goals. Chuni received the Arjuna Award in 1963 and the Padma Shri in 1983.
| Full Name | Subimal “Chuni” Goswami |
| Date of Birth | January 15, 1938 (Kishoreganj, Bengal Presidency, British India) |
| Date of Death | April 30, 2020 (Kolkata, India) |
| Club & Position | Mohun Bagan (1954–1968) – Striker |
| International Career | India (1956–1964) |
| Notable Achievements | 1962 Asian Games Gold Medalist, 1964 AFC Asian Cup Runner-up, First Indian footballer to play first-class cricket |
| Highest Position | Captain of India’s 1962 Asian Games-winning team |
Tulsidas Balaram
After coming from a small village in Hyderabad, he made his debut in 1956. Probably the most pacy in the holy trinity and sharper. He played more than 25 games for India, where he scored more than ten goals.
His work rate was unmatched with intense stamina. He had a short career compared to others due to the health issues he faced. Like his two partners, he also received the Arjuna Award in 1962.
| Full Name | Tulsidas Balaram |
| Date of Birth | October 4, 1936 (Secunderabad, Hyderabad State, British India) |
| Date of Death | February 16, 2023 (Kolkata, India) |
| Club & Position | East Bengal, Hyderabad City Police – Forward |
| International Career | India (1956–1962) |
| Notable Achievements | 1962 Asian Games Gold Medalist, 1960 Olympics Participant |
Sandesh Jhingan
He made his international debut in 2015. Since then, he has been the backbone of this Indian defence. In 2014, he was awarded the AIFF Emerging Player of the Year. His aggressive tackling, leadership, and aerial ability are his main strengths. Jhingan also has experience of playing in Europe, as he was a part of the Croatian first division club, HNK Sibenik.
| Full Name | Sandesh Jhingan |
| Date of Birth | July 21, 1993 (Chandigarh, India) |
| Club & Position | FC Goa (since 2023) – Centre-back |
| International Career | India (since 2015) |
| Notable Achievements | Arjuna Award Winner (2020), AIFF Player of the Year (2020–21), SAFF Championship Winner (2023) |
| Highest Position | Key defender for India and FC Goa in ISL |
Gurpreet Singh
The main man in goal for India since he made his debut in 2011. Gurpreet Singh is the first Indian player to play in the UEFA Europa League, as he played with Stabæk FC, which is a club in Norway. His reflexes are remarkable, and due to his height, he makes things look easy. Because of delivering great performances day in and day out, he was rewarded as the AIFF Player of the Year in the 2019-2020 season.
| Full Name | Gurpreet Singh Sandhu |
| Date of Birth | February 3, 1992 (Chamkaur Sahib, Punjab, India) |
| Club & Position | Bengaluru FC (since 2017) – Goalkeeper |
| International Career | India (since 2011) |
| Notable Achievements | First Indian to play in the UEFA Europa League, Arjuna Award Winner (2019), SAFF Championship Winner (2015, 2021) |
| Highest Position | India’s first-choice goalkeeper, record holder for most clean sheets in ISL history |
Jarnail Singh
His natural position is playing in defence, but because of the team’s requirement, he played as a striker in the final of the 1962 Asian Games, and the main part is that he scored the goal. Jarnail Singh was regarded as the best defender in Asia after he made his debut in the 1950s. He was also the captain of the Indian Football team in the 1964 AFC Asian Cup, where Indian ended up being the runners-up.
| Full Name | Jarnail Singh Dhillon |
| Date of Birth | February 20, 1936 (Faisalabad, British India) |
| Date of Death | October 13, 2000 (Vancouver, Canada) |
| Club & Position | Mohun Bagan (1959–1967) – Centre-back |
| International Career | India (1956–1967) |
| Notable Achievements | 1962 Asian Games Gold Medalist, 1964 AFC Asian Cup Runner-up, Arjuna Award Winner (1964) |
| Highest Position | Captain of India (1965–1967), one of Asia’s best defenders in the 1960s |
IM Vijayan
He has scored one of the fastest international goals in just 12 seconds against Bhutan. IM Vijayan made his international debut in 1992. He played as a forward and was known for his flair as well as goal-scoring ability. IM Vijayan has won the AIFF Player of the Year three times, that is, in 1993, 1997, and 1999. He was also awarded the Arjuna Award in 2003.
| Full Name | Inivalappil Mani Vijayan |
| Date of Birth | April 25, 1969 (Thrissur, Kerala, India) |
| Club & Position | Kerala Police, Mohun Bagan, JCT Mills – Striker |
| International Career | India (1992–2003) |
| Notable Achievements | 3× AIFF Player of the Year (1993, 1997, 1999), Arjuna Award Winner (2003), Padma Shri (2025) |
| Highest Position | Captain of India (2000–2004), one of India’s greatest strikers |
Peter Thangaraj
When we are talking about the forwards that helped India win medals in the 1950s to 1960s, Peter Thangaraj deserves an equal amount of appreciation. He made his international debut in the 1950s and was one of the best goalkeepers in Asia after that.
In 1958, he was given the tag of the best goalkeeper in Asia. He also received the Arjuna Award (1967). Peter Thangaraj was the leader from the back, commanding his players on what to do.
| Full Name | Peter Thangaraj |
| Date of Birth | December 24, 1935 (Hyderabad, India) |
| Date of Death | November 24, 2008 (Bokaro, India) |
| Club & Position | Mohammedan Sporting, Mohun Bagan, East Bengal – Goalkeeper |
| International Career | India (1955–1967) |
| Notable Achievements | 1962 Asian Games Gold Medalist, 1964 AFC Asian Cup Runner-up |
| Highest Position | Named Asia’s Best Goalkeeper (1958), India’s Goalkeeper of the 20th Century |
