1) Sailendra Nath Manna
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Known to all simply as Sailen Manna, one of the most able leaders the Indian football team has ever seen was also one of the greatest defenders the country has ever produced. A discovery of the Chinese Wall, Gostha Pal (see how the trend works here), Manna was best known for his thunderous free kicks and clean tackles.
He also followed the course set down by his idol and discoverer, the legendary Gostha Pal and played barefoot for most of his career. Perhaps the biggest testament to Manna’s talent is that he was never sent off in his entire career, a feat that sounds utterly unbelievable when heard for the first time.
Just ask a Mohun Bagan fan (any fan) about the greatness of Sailen Manna and watch the warmth with which they speak about this legend, a true Mohun Bagan Ratna in every sense of the word. In a game where no player’s relation with a club is ever secure, Manna reached new heights of longevity and loyalty playing 19 consecutive seasons with Mohun Bagan, from the start of his professional playing days to the absolute end.
With the Indian National team, Sailen Manna travelled to the 1948 Olympic Games in London where the Indian team narrowly lost their first ever international game 2-1 to France. It is a matter of pity that Manna, India’s first set piece expert somehow missed a penalty kick in that match. Just goes to show that even the ones we revere as gods, are after all human.
There was success to come however and under Manna’s captaincy, none less! Leader extraordinaire that he was, Manna led India to the 1951 Asian Games gold medal (our first major international win) and four consecutive Colombo Cup triumphs from 1952 to 1955.
In fitting tributes to the first great leader in Indian football, the Indian government conferred the title of Padma Shree on Sailen Manna in 1970 while in 2000, the AIFF named Manna as the “Best Indian Footballer of the Last Millenium.”
Although this stalwart of Indian football sadly passed away in 2012, aged 87, his legacy surely lives on.
