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The Indian football team at the 1956 Melbourne OlympicsIndian football has been neglected by the general public over the years. Most of the people are not bothered about who our football starts were and what they achieved. It is true that India stands nowhere in World football today and our standards need a lot of improvement.But there was a time when India was among the top teams on the continent and played well against the superpowers of world football. But unfortunately, neither the government nor the general public remembers their contribution to the nation and honour them.Here are five Indian footballers who played very well during their time and contributed hugely to the nation but have been forgotten with time and never been given their due credit.
#1 Tulsidas Balaram
Tulsidas Balaram was a member of the golden generation of Indian football. A native of Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh, Balaram caught the eyes of legendary Indian coach S.A Rahim in the early 1950s and was called up for the Santosh Trophy team.
He was extremely impressive and was later inducted into the Indian national football team. He represented the national team at major tournaments like the Melbourne Olympics in 1956, the Rome Olympics in 1960 and the 1962 Asian games.
A crafty attacking player, Balaram is one of the all-time greats to have ever donned the national colours. He was also a part of the golden trio of Indian football along with P.K Banerjee and Chuni Goswami. Tulsidas Balaram won 26 international caps in which he scored 8 international goals.
His statistics though do not do justice to his genius and exceptional talent as he was regarded as one of the greats of Asian football in that era.
After serving his nation unconditionally for so many years, his name has slowly faded away from the memories of the Indian sports fraternity. Except for the Arjuna award, this genius has never been recognized by our government or the All India Football Federation.
The man now silently lives on the outskirts of Kolkata, completely out of the spotlight and away from any attention. Balaram is truly one of the greatest ever Indian sportsmen who has never received the attention he deserved.
#2 Neville D\'Souza
Another star Indian footballer of the golden era, Neville D’Souza holds the unique feat of being the first ever Asian player to score a hat-trick in the Olympic Games. India had a dream run at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and D’Souza was an integral part of it. They finished fourth that year, their best ever performance at the Olympics.
In a game against Australia, D’Souza scored thrice, helping India win the tie 4-2, something which would be unimaginable in the present days. He was the joint top scorer of the tournament with 4 goals in 3 games.
Neville D’Souza was also a national level hockey player. He represented his state team as well as his school and college teams. In his debut year at the prestigious Beighton Cup in Kolkata, he was instrumental in helping his team win the tournament. He was a member of the Tata’s team which toured East Africa in 1952 and scored 42 goals in 17 matches, and finally in 1955, he represented the national hockey team.
His achievements clearly portray him not only as one of the greatest footballers of the country but also one of greatest sportsmen India has ever produced. Unfortunately, he was never given his due credit and the state government was reluctant to honour him.
#3 Jo Paul Ancheri
Jo Paul Ancheri is one of the very few utility footballers that India have produced. The Malayali footballer started his career with State Bank of Travancore 1992.
Since then he has dawned the jerseys of several top Indian clubs including Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and JCT. Ancheri won several accolades while playing for his clubs and was also an integral part of the national team for 12 years long years.
He started his career as an out and out striker but later moved to midfield. During the latter stages of his career, he also played as a defensive midfielder and a defender. Such was his ability that he could be used in multiple positions by his coaches.
Ancheri is best known for his everlasting partnership and friendship with the legendary Indian footballer I.M Vijayan. Both these footballers from Kerala always played together, be it for the national team or club football. He has also won the prestigious AIFF Player of the Year award twice, in 1994 and 2001.
Even though Jo Paul Ancheri was a fantastic player and had an illustrious career, he is not regarded as one of the greats of Indian football. After serving the nation tirelessly for so many years, he still remain neglected and out of the limelight.
#4 Samar Banerjee
Samar Banerjee or ‘Badru Da’ as he is popularly known in the football fraternity was the captain of the Indian national side who finished fourth at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. It was also India’s best ever performance at the big stage.
Being a Mohun Bagan fan since birth, Samar Banerjee played for the green and maroon brigade all his life. In his club career, the ex-India captain won several accolades. Also as a member of the Bengal football team at the Santosh trophy, he won the prestigious tournament twice.
Even after being the captain of the Olympic side in 1956, Banerjee never got the due credit that he deserved. He himself blames the Indian media for severely criticising him after a series of bad performances, which ultimately resulted in ending his career at a pretty early stage.
Samar Banerjee has still not received an Arjuna Award, let alone any other accolades.
#5 Climax Lawrence
Climax Lawrence came to the Indian football scene from Vasco SC’s youth system. He played for local club Salgaocar SC for 5 years before plying his trade in Kolkata in 2004 for East Bengal.
After playing just one season, he was released by the club and he went back to Goa to join Dempo SC. After joining the Goan giants in 2005, Lawrence’s career peaked. He was an integral member of the 5 time I-League champions Dempo and also captained the side.
Lawrence represented India for the first time in 2002 under Stephen Constantine, but he bloomed under another British coach, Bob Houghton. In the national colours, the Goan midfielder won the Nehru Cup twice, in 2007 and 2009 and also the AFC Challenge Cup in 2008.
The highlight of his career was when he captained the Indian national side at the AFC Asian Cup 2011, as the then captain Bhaichung Bhutia could not take the field due to serious injury concerns.
After a highly successful career at the big stage for India as well his clubs, Lawrence has never been rated very highly over the years. Nobody till date has given him any recognition. His name was considered for the Arjuna award in 2009 but was later discarded.
