Punjab stars

Jarnail Singh Dhillon

Considered as the greatest Indian footballer of all time, Jarnail Singh Dhillon was named captain of the Asian All-Stars XI two years in a row. No other Indian player has ever received this honour.

Born in Faisalabad in 1936, Jarnail Singh came to Phagwara, after Partition. He joined Khalsa Sporting Club of the Sri Guru Gobind Singh Khalsa College of Mahilpur, and was spotted by Kolkata's Rajasthan Club. He moved to Kolkata in 1957 and played for Rajasthan Club before being poached by Mohun Bagan in 1959. Jarnail played a big part in Mohun Bagan winning six Calcutta League titles, four IFA Shield finals, and four Durand Cup crown. Indian football's greatest achievement is the gold medal won at the 1962 Asian Games, in which Jarnail scored the winning goal with a header in the final, despite having six stitches on his head. He returned to play for Punjab in 1968 and was the captain of the team when Punjab won the Santosh Trophy for the first time in 1970.

Inder Singh

One of the giants of Indian football, Inder Singh was a home-grown player who never played for Kolkata's famous clubs. The Phagwara-born Inder became famous as a schoolboy footballer and was signed up by Leaders Club, Jalandhar. Picked up for India in 1963, he was the joint top-scorer in the group stage of the 1964 Asian Cup. In 1967 and 1968, he was part of the Asian All-Stars XI. He was part of the team when Punjab won Santosh Trophy for the second time in 1974. He scored a hat-trick in the final. Due to his exploits, Punjab scored 46 goals in the tournament. Inder himself scored an incredible 23 goals, which remains a record. 

Manjit Singh

When Punjab won the Santosh Trophy for the first time in 1970, tall, strongly-built Manjit Singh was the star forward. Son of a retired Armyman from a village near Mahilpur, he was only 20 when he became a star. In the Asian Games the same year, he scored the winning goal that earned India a bronze medal. He was a fixture in the national squad for the next six years. His India career ended due to the ego of the administrators — as captain, he had dared to ask for better payment and facilities for his players. In domestic tournaments, he played for Leaders Club, BSF, Punjab Police, JCT, PSEB and East Bengal. An eye operation ended his career, and he died in a car accident in 1992.

Parminder Singh

The Punjab schoolboys' team in the 1973 Subroto Cup was noticed due to the exploits of a 16-year-old. Within three years, he was playing for India in the Asian Junior Championships in Bangkok. He was picked up by BSF for their team, before he moved to JCT. Parminder was moved to a midfield position at JCT and he took up the role perfectly. He became a fixture in the Indian team in 1979, and figured in the 1982 Asian Games. He was also selected for the Asian All-Stars XI. He won the Durand Cup with JCT in 1983 and 1987, beating big teams from Kolkata. He also helped Punjab also win the Santosh Trophy in 1985 and 1986.