Although the journey of Indian football in last 2 and half decades of 21st century gone through rough patches, but India produced some fine footballing talents in this duration who gave this sports a new Heights. These are top 5 Indian Footballers of the 21st Century
Sunil Chhetri – Heart of Indian football
Sunil Chhetri captain leader legend the Goat of Indian football. Whenever we think about Indian football one picture which flashes in every Indian’s mind is of sunil Chhetri.
Chhetri played 157 matches for India and and scored 95 International goals, which is not only the most international goal scored by any Indian till date. Sunil Chhetri also holds the record of fourth-highest international goal scorer in the world among active players (behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Ali Daei).
Sunil Chhetri also holds the record of highest goal scorer in Indian domestic top tire League Indian super league where he played total 182 Matches and scored 75 goals.
Baichung Bhutia - Sikkimese Sniper
The first superstar of Indian football in 21st century Baichung Bhutia also known as Sikkimese Sniper. A legendary Indian football striker trained from Tata Football Academy.
The first Indian footballer to play professionally in Europe. He played 84 games during 1995-2011 for India and score 27 international goals in blue jersey.
He played for legendary Indian clubs like East Bengal and Mohun Bagan also played for English club Bury FC and MK Land Football Club of Malaysia.
Subrata Paul - Spider-Man of Indian football
Another graduate from Tata football Academy 6 feet and 1 inch tall one of the most successful Indian goalkeepers. Paul played total 67 games for India out of which he achieved 18 clean seats.
Subrata Paul was one of the key Indian goalkeepers for Indian super league clubs. Paul played for multiple Indian super league clubs like Mumbai city FC, North East United and Jamshedpur FC. His most successful stint in Indian super league was with Jamshedpur FC in 2017-18 season where he won the IPL Golden Globe award. Subrata Paul plate total 95 matches in Indian super league out of which he achieved 26 clean sheets.
Jeje Lalpekhlua – The powerful striker
Jeje Lalpekhlua another Indian football striker from the state of Mizoram who played alongside the Indian GOAT Sunil Chhetri in Indian Jersey. Jeje appeared 56 times for India from 2011 to 2019 where he scored 23 goals.
He also played in Indian domestic League like I league and Indian super league for multiple clubs like Pune, Dempo, Chennai, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. In club football Jeje Lalpekhlua appeared in total 210 matches where is code 69 goals.
Once hailed as the ‘next Sunil Chhetri’, Jeje Lalpekhlua’s football career could not last too long due to critical knee injuries. He last played Indian super league in 2020-2021 season for East Bengal where he played only 7 games and scored only one goal
Sandesh Jhingan – Indian defensive powerhouse
Football is not about scoring goals only to make a team balance we need solid defense too. One Defender who became the powerhouse of defense in modern days Indian football is Sandesh Jhingan. The Indian center back with 6 feet and 1 inch of height is known for his physical dominance on the pitch, Sandesh is considered to be one of the finest stoppers India has ever produced.
Sandesh has appeared 71 times for Indian national football team from 2015 till date where he not only contributed for making the defense line strong but also scored 6 International goals.
Sandesh has also played Indian domestic League such as I league and Indian super league where he was part of multiple Indian clubs like Mumbai City, Kerala blasters Mohan Bagan, Bengaluru and Goa FC. In domestic Indian football till date Sandesh has played more than 200 club games and scored around 6 goals.
Honourable Mentions –
Above are the top 5 Indian Footballers of the 21st Century according to Khelstories . There are few more players whose contribution is worth mentioning in this post are listed below
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu – The wall
Renedy Singh – Set piece expert
Climax Lawrence – 2000’s midfielder
Anirudh Thapa – The great midfielder
Conclusion –
Twenty first century is still challenging for Indian Football, but few individual players who stood out separately by their dedication, hard work and love for the game of football. These players not only succeeded in their own career and for Indian football but also, they are the role model for all young Indians who aspire to make the game of football as their carrier. Someday this aura of individual success will motivate India to become football powerhouse.
