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In the Indian footballing heydey of the 1950s and 1960s, Indian footballers were considered to be of sufficient quality to play at elite levels. Mohammed Salim, the first Indian to play in Europe, earned rave reviews in the Scottish press. “Abdul Salim, Celtic's Indian International trialist, tickled the crowd at Celtic Park on Friday with his magnificent ball manipulation,” was one such example.
Meanwhile, India also qualified for the 1950 World Cup.
Later, stalwarts like Chuni Goswami led India to glory on the international stage, winning the 1962 Asian Games gold medal and a silver medal in the 1964 Asia Cup in Israel. Goswami turned down offers from European clubs as he did not want to lose the security of his government job in the country.
Since then, Indian football seems to have gone into a long hibernation from which it is only now rising. The return of Indians to European football came with star Indian striker Baichung Bhutia signing for British club Bury FC in 1999. Sunil Chhetri followed suit in 2012 with a stint with Sporting Lisbon’s B team while goalkeeper Subrata Paul played for Danish club FC Vestsjaelland’s reserve side in 2014.
India is going through a footballing revolution with a lot of the youth deciding to make a career in the sport. A few Indians have also gone abroad to play at a higher level in the European leagues. We list five such Indian prodigies who are plying their trade abroad.
#1 Gurpreet Singh Sandhu
The Indian national team captain and goalkeeper made history in 2014 by becoming the first Indian ever to sign for a first division club in a European league when he signed for Norwegian Tippeligaen outfit, Stabaek. He also became the first Indian to appear in the UEFA Europa League as Stabaek played the first round of qualification matches.
The Indian shot-stopper began his career at the St. Stephens Academy in Chandigarh in 2000. He later graduated through the Punjab state youth levels and carried on at the academy before signing a professional contract with East Bengal in 2009.
After rising through the ranks at East Bengal, Gurpreet Singh signed with Stabaek in 2014. Starting as a second choice goalkeeper, he managed to make his debut in January 2015 and became the cup competition goalkeeper for the club. He made his league debut for the club in May 2016 and has not looked back since, appearing in the UEFA Europa League and becoming the skipper of the Indian national side.
#2 Aditi Chauhan
It may come as no surprise but Aditi Chauhan is the first Indian woman to have played competitively in English League football. Born and brought up in New Delhi, she was a promising sportsperson who made her women’s Delhi U-19 bow at the tender age of 15. Impressing at the state level, she was called for the India U-19 trials at the age of 17 and went on to win the 2012 SAFF Women’s Championship in Sri Lanka.
Aditi joined West Ham in 2015, making her debut for the Hammers in August 2015 in a 5-0 defeat to Coventry City. She soon became the first choice ‘keeper for West Ham, playing 18 games and keeping four clean sheets in the process, winning the Asian Woman Footballer of the Year award. She was soon asked to leave the club after the English FA ruled that clubs lower than the second tier could not sponsor player visas or pay them salaries.
The shot-stopper returned to West Ham in September 2016 after sorting out her visa issues. Her return was a memorable one, as she saved three penalties in a shootout against Swindon, receiving a hero’s welcome on her return to West Ham Ladies.
Aditi continues to make history playing for the Hammers and is a source of inspiration to all Indian women who aspire to be sportspersons.
#3 Prateek Shinde
Pratik Shinde’s story is one of hardship and struggle that has led him to the top of the Indian footballing pyramid. Born in a chawl in the Chembur suburb of Mumbai, he started playing football at the age of seven. His baby steps as a professional footballer were taken with Mumbai’s Kenkre football academy, which has developed a reputation for scouting young talent.
The midfielder’s rise to international recognition came during the 2010 Gothia Cup in Sweden where he scored one of the goals of the tournament. His performance in the Gothia Cup led American side Galveston Pirates to offer him a professional contract, making him the youngest Indian to sign a professional contract with a foreign club.
Pratik returned to India to play in the Indian Super League in 2014 but has since returned to the United States to play for the Houston Hurricanes in his second stint with the club.
#4 Ishan Pandita
The Bengaluru born youngster moved to the Philippines at a very young age, training under the tutelage of British coaches in Manila which gave him a solid foundation to work on his footballing skills. His talent was initially noticed during the Airtel Rising Star talent hunt in Bengaluru following which his foray into European football began.
The forward played at the 2013 Gothia Cup in Sweden where he impressed and caught the eye of the scouts of a local club, IF Brommapojkarna, who invited him for trials. In 2014, Pandita Alcobendas FC, which acts as a feeder club for Atletico Madrid, gave Pandita increased exposure. Insistent on playing for a La Liga club, he turned down an offer from Getafe, who were relegated and took up an offer from CD Leganes.
Pandita now plays for the U-19 side of the Madrid-based club with the aim of gaining enough experience to make an appearance in the top flight by the end of the season. His footballing dream consists of playing against the best in the world like Messi and Ronaldo, and he eventually aims to represent India at the world stage.
#5 Ashique Kuruniyan
Ashique Kuruniyan is an India U-19 international who is a product of the Pune FC academy and played for FC Pune City in the last edition of the Indian Super League after which he was approached by Spanish giants Villarreal for a loan spell.
On signing a 2.5-month contract for the Spanish club, he was made to play for FC Roda, which is feeder and developmental club for Villarreal. After scoring and impressing in his first appearance for FC Roda, he was made captain of the team in his second game. His contract too was extended to a year after the Yellow Submarine were sufficiently impressed by his talents.
In February 2017, Ashique suffered a Grade 2 injury in his hamstring. This will make him miss out on a three-month period, however, he will be back in Spain for the pre-season. Kuruniyan is currently in India continuing his rehabilitation and both Villarreal and Pune City FC have pledged to allow him to continue his development in Spain after his recovery from injury.
