10 best Indian football players of all time

#4 Sailendra Nath Manna

It would not be an understatement if Sailendra Nath Manna, or just Sailen Manna to his fans, is termed the greatest leader Indian football has ever produced. He was an integral part of the team that took part in the 1948 Olympics. Under the leadership of the mercurial defender, India won the Gold Medal in the 1951 Asian Games and also won the Quadrangular Tournament for four successive years from 1952 to 1956.

In fact, his fame as a leader spread so wide that he became the only Asian footballer to have been selected in the list of the 10 best captains of the world by the English Football Association. A really high honour indeed.

Sailen Manna was born in 1924 in Howrah and joined Mohun Bagan in 1942. He would go on to play for the team for 19 continuous years before he retired and has been recognised as a Mohun Bagan Ratna in 2001. He was such a star that for Bagan fans, he was beyond reproach. He was held in high regard even after his playing days.

He passed away on 27 February 2012 aged 87.