Jarnail Singh : Stopper Back Indian Football

Full Name: Jarnail Singh Dhillon
Born: 1936, Panam, Hoshiarpur, Punjab
Major Teams: Khalsa Sporting Club, Mohun Bagan AC
Playing Position: Stopper back
Achievements:Won gold in the 1962 Jakarta Asian Games

The legendary Jarnail Singh is regarded as one of the most outstanding defenders to have donned the India colours. The natural athlete that he was, Jarnail took the art of defence to new heights making himself an epitome of strength and stamina.

Like many of his illustrious compatriots, Jarnail played a pivotal role in shaping India's football fortunes during the golden era of Indian football. His heroics in the 1962 Jakarta Asian Games are part of Indian football folklore now. Braving a nasty head-injury that required six stitches, Jarnail, in his new avatar as a forward, scored crucial goals in the semi-final and final to fetch India its maiden Asiad football gold.

Two years later, when India became the runner-up in the 1964 Asia Cup at Tel Aviv, Jarnail was at his best marshalling the defence with authority and guile. After another commendable show at the Merdeka tournament in Malaysia in the same year, Jarnail took over the reins of the team from Chuni Goswami and continued for more than two seasons with a fair bit of success.

At the domestic circuit, Jarnail was associated with the Mohun Bagan Club for 10 glorious years when the green-and-maroon team swept all the major titles at the national level. After quitting from Mohun Bagan in 1969, Jarnail went to play for Punjab and inspired the team to win the first Santosh Trophy in 1970 as a coach-cum-player.

P. K. Banerjee : Stricker Indian Football

Full Name: Pradip Kumar Banerjee
Born: October 15, 1936, Jalpaiguri, Bengal
Major Teams: Aryan Club, Eastern Railway SC, India
Playing Position: Striker
Achievements: Member of the Indian team that finished fourth in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics; won gold medal in 1962 Asian Games; first-ever footballer to receive the Arjuna Award (1961)

P. K. Banerjee was one of the stalwarts of the formidable Indian football squad that made a name for itself in the international stage. A dashing forward, Banerjee made it a habit of scoring crucial goals for his team.

Though Banerjee started his professional career in Jamshedpur, it was in the highly competitive Calcutta league that he excelled representing the Eastern Railways SC.

Banerjee was a member of the Indian team that finished fourth in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and had captained the national team at the 1960 Rome Olympics. In Rome, though India failed to move from the group stage, they played inspirational soccer to hold the mighty France 1-1 through a goal from the captain himself.

Banerjee dazzled in the Asian arena as well, representing India in three Asiads from 1958 to 1966. In the 1962 edition, India clinched the gold medal with Banerjee scoring against all the teams except the very first match against South Korea.

Post-retirement, Banerjee coached the Calcutta giants Mohun Bagan and East Bengal and was associated with the national team for a long time. In 1961, P. K. Banerjee became the first-ever footballer to receive the Arjuna Award.

Chuni Goswami - Striker Indian Football

Full Name: Subimal Chuni Goswami
Born: January 15, 1938, Kishoregunj, Bengal
Major Teams: Mohun Bagan AC, India
Playing Position: Striker
Achievements: Led the Indian team to gold at the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta; Arjuna Award in 1963; Padma Shri in 1983
During the golden era of Indian football, Chuni Goswami was one of the mainstays of the national team. Goswami started his professional career with the Mohun Bagan Club in 1954 having graduated through the junior outfit of the club.

In the 1950s and 60s, when the Indian football team was far from being the pushovers they are today, India did well in the international stage riding on the skills of Goswami and a host of capable players.

The highpoint of Chuni Goswami's career was the football gold at the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta. In the final, the Goswami-led team defeated South Korea 2-1, with goals coming from P.K. Banerjee and Jarnail Singh.

Goswami captained the Mohun Bagan team from 1960 to 1964. During his stint, the club did exceedingly well in various national competitions including the prestigious Durand Cup.

In honor of his services to the game, Chuni Goswami was bestowed with the Arjuna Award in 1963 and the Padmashri in 1983.