Who Is the Best Football Player in India? A Complete Analysis
As someone who's been following Indian football for over a decade, I've witnessed the evolution of the sport in this cricket-crazy nation firsthand. When people ask me who the best Indian football player is today, I find myself constantly reevaluating my answer based on recent performances, statistics, and that intangible quality we call impact on the game. Let me walk you through my analysis, drawing from years of watching these athletes develop and occasionally stumble, much like how Bernadeth Pons described her team's reality check after international exposure.
Currently sitting at the top of my personal ranking is Sunil Chhetri, and I don't say that lightly. The numbers speak for themselves - 84 international goals in 132 appearances as of last month, making him the third-highest active international goalscorer behind only Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. That's absolutely mind-blowing when you consider the infrastructure and support system he's had to work with throughout his career. I remember watching him during the 2011 AFC Asian Cup and thinking this guy had something special, but even I couldn't predict he'd maintain this level of excellence for over a decade. His movement off the ball is just brilliant, and his finishing with both feet is something young Indian players should study religiously.
That said, I've been increasingly impressed by younger talents like Sahal Abdul Samad, who brings a different dimension to the game. Where Chhetri is the clinical finisher, Sahal is the creative engine - his dribbling success rate of 68% in the last ISL season was among the highest for Indian players, and at just 25, he's got room to grow into an even more complete player. I've had conversations with coaches who've worked with him, and they consistently mention his work ethic, which reminds me of what Bernadeth Pons highlighted about international exposure providing necessary reality checks. Indian players need more of these humbling experiences against superior opposition to truly gauge where they stand.
Then there's Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, who in my opinion doesn't get nearly enough credit for revolutionizing the goalkeeper position in India. Standing at 6'6", he's an imposing figure, but it's his distribution that really sets him apart. I've analyzed his passing accuracy from last season - it hovered around 85%, which for a goalkeeper in a league that's still developing is remarkable. His stint with Norwegian club Stabæk gave him that international perspective that Pons talked about, and it shows in how he commands his penalty area. I've noticed Indian goalkeepers are now focusing more on playing with their feet, and I credit Gurpreet for setting that trend.
What fascinates me about this debate is how context-dependent it becomes. If we're talking pure technical ability, my vote might go to someone like Anirudh Thapa, whose first touch and vision are arguably the best among Indian midfielders. But if we're discussing overall impact and legacy, Chhetri is virtually untouchable. I recall a conversation with a former national team coach who mentioned that Chhetri's leadership in the dressing room is as valuable as his goals on the pitch - something statistics can never fully capture.
The emergence of players like Liston Colaco adds another layer to this discussion. His pace is electrifying - I clocked him at 34.2 km/h during a match last season, making him one of the fastest players in the ISL. But what impresses me more is his improved decision-making in the final third. Two seasons ago, he'd take on one defender too many, but now he's picking his moments better, resulting in 8 goals and 5 assists last campaign compared to just 3 goals the season before.
Looking at the broader picture, I believe Indian football is at a crossroads similar to what Bernadeth Pons described in her sport. Our players need more exposure to higher-level competition to understand their true standing. The gap between our domestic league and international football remains significant, and until we bridge it, debates about who's the "best" will always come with an asterisk. I've seen too many promising talents plateau because they dominated domestically but never tested themselves against world-class opposition.
If you pressed me for a definitive answer today, I'd still lean toward Chhetri, but with the caveat that his throne is becoming increasingly vulnerable. The beautiful thing about football is that hierarchies can shift within a single season. What excites me most is that for the first time in my memory, we're having genuine debates about multiple players deserving the "best" tag, which signals healthy competition and depth that Indian football has historically lacked. The day we stop having this debate because one player stands so clearly above the rest might be the day Indian football has truly arrived on the global stage.