Top five forwards to have played in Calcutta Football League history

The Calcutta Football League has seen some prolific strikers across the years.

The Calcutta Football League is one of India’s most prestigious football club competitions, with its inaugural season dating back to 1898.

The Calcutta Football League, over the years, has been one of the most coveted football tournaments in India, made famous by the rivalries formed between the likes of Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, and Mohammedan Sporting.

The league has also been accredited with nurturing some of the biggest legends to have played in India. 

Today, we take a look at five such prolific strikers, who have etched their names in the history of the league with their top notch football.

5. Jose Barreto

Barreto joined Mohun Bagan in the 1999-2000 season, immediately making his mark by leading the team to an NFL title and an IFA Shield victory.

Barreto still remains fifth in the list of top goalscorers in NFL/I-League with 101 goals, 94 of those came while playing for Bagan. He is also the all time top goalscorer of the Federation Cup with 27 goals.

Barreto joined CFL side Bhawanipore in 2012, and made 72 appearances for the team. 

4. Chidi Edeh

Chidi Edeh is another Nigerian linchpin who has left a lasting impact in Indian football. He played for several top Indian clubs, including East Bengal and Mohun Bagan from 2009 to 2014.

Edeh’s incredible pace combined with his strength made him an intimidating force in front of the goal. Edeh’s incredible goalscoring abilities made him the fourth-highest goalscorer in NFL and I-League history

3. Chima Okorie

Nigerian stalwart Chima Okorie is perhaps one of the best foreign players to have played in the Calcutta Football League. Having started his footballing career at Kolkata with his University team, Chima was quick in drawing attention. 

Chima scored 16 goals in the 1985 CFL season, before signing for East Bengal and solidifying his name across the state. Okorie’s talent was so evident that he became the first foreigner to be signed by Mohun Bagan in 1991.

During his 12 seasons, he top scored in the Calcutta Football League seven times, a record that still stands.

2. Chunni Goswami 

Chunni Goswami to this day remains the top scorer in CFL history with 145 goals to his name. The Indian legend is regarded as one of India’s most talented footballers ever, and is a part of the famous Indian squad that won the 1962 Asian Games. 

Across his career, Chunni won the Calcutta Football league five times, rendering himself as perhaps the competition’s biggest legend. Chunni Goswami was also honoured with the Arjuna Award in 1963, and the Padma Shri award in 1983.

1. Bhaichung Bhutia

Bhaichung is perhaps the greatest footballer that India have ever produced, and if there is a league that helped showcase his talent on the national stage, and give Bhaichung’s career the boost that it needed, it is perhaps the Calcutta Football League. 

Bhutia joined East Bengal in 1992, and there was no stopping him thereafter. He is often referred to as the Sikkimese Sniper because of his shooting skills.

Bhutia won a total of 12 CFL titles, nine of them with East Bengal, and three with Mohun Bagan, and forever made himself a legend across the streets of Kolkata. 

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