Top five Indian players who retired early

Despite short careers, some of these Indian players have peaked during their days.

The Indian football scene has had many instances of footballers playing well into their late 30s and sometimes even in their 40s. Sunil Chhetri, who is still going strong at the age of 41, is probably the prime example of how one footballer can excel in Indian football as long as able to maintain peak fitness levels and consistency with their performances at even an elderly age.

However, not every footballer is lucky enough to be able to sustain a football career into their late 30s. That is because there are certain dangers of football when it comes to career-threatening injuries that can threaten to prematurely end a footballer’s career.

Unfortunately, in Indian football, there have been a few instances where footballers have been forced to retire at an early age because of injury complications. Here, we look at the five Indian footballers who were forced to retire from the beautiful game early because of certain complications.

5. Gabriel Fernandes

Gabriel Fernandes earned quite a bit of admiration after coming through the Sporting Club de Goa youth system and excelling in the Goan football scene from 2009. He even played for Mumbai FC and Dempo, winning the Federation Cup with the latter as well.

Fernandes was a quick winger who earned praise for his ability to torment defenders and impressive close control, enabling him to create many goals in his career. He even played for Mumbai City FC in the Indian Super League (ISL).

However, one thing that started to really hurt Gabriel after he started playing in the ISL and for major clubs is his inability to stay away from injuries. During his one season at East Bengal (2017-18), Fernandes suffered a number of muscle injuries that caused him a lot of discomfort.

After failing to play for FC Pune City in the 2018-19 ISL campaign, Fernandes decided to leave the Indian football scene and retire from professional football at the age of 31. He went on to play on occasions for Shrivenham in the Hellenic Premier League in England.

4. Lester Fernandez

Lester Fernandez was a promising attacking midfielder who came through the Tata Football Academy in the early 2000s, before making his breakthrough with Dempo SC. He also played for Goan clubs like Vasco da Gama and Salgaocar FC, as well as FC Pune and United SC in the I-League.

It was in 2014 that Lester really got his major breakthrough in the first-ever campaign of the Indian Super League (ISL), when he was able to hold his own in the Atletico de Kolkata side.

Fernandez made six appearances for the Kolkata club in the 2014 campaign, being a hard-working and efficient midfield figure for them. He won the ISL title with the Kolkata side, before moving to Bharat FC in 2015. It was at Bharat FC that Fernandez sustained a nasty ACL injury that caused him to miss out on a move to FC Goa that year.

After failing to join any clubs in the next few years, Fernandez was forced to move away from top division football and only played for Kenkre FC in the MDFA Elite Division in 2019-20. He effectively retired at the age of 34, but his last proper campaign in top Indian football was in 2015, when Fernandez was only 29.

3. Khalid Jamil

The current head coach of the Indian football team was actually quite the hard-working and gritty footballer back in his heyday. Jamil was a sturdy midfielder who was notable for his defensive contributions in the midfield and for being able to add steel to his side. He made over 150 appearances for Mahindra United, winning the National Football League and two Federation Cup titles with them, and also played for Air India.

Jamil made 40 appearances for India, but it was during a match for India against Malaysia in 2004 that Jamil sustained an ultimately career-ending injury.

He managed to tear his ACL but opted against undergoing surgery, playing through pain with the help of painkillers for many years. But the condition of his left knee got worse, impacting his performances. Jamil last played for Mumbai FC but retired at the age of 32 in 2009 before immediately moving into football management.

2. Jeje Lalpekhlua

Jeje Lalpekhlua emerged as a really exciting talent in Indian football after his debut for Pune FC in 2008. After spending five years with Pune, one of which he played for Pailan Arrows, Jeje would go on to have stints at Dempo and Mohun Bagan before excelling for Chennaiyin FC in the ISL.

Jeje scored 24 goals in 76 games in the ISL, winning the title twice with the Marina Machans, and he was also part of Mohun Bagan’s I-League-winning side inthe 2014-15 campaign. Jeje also played a crucial role with the Indian football team, scoring 23 goals in 56 appearances and winning multiple tournaments with the Blue Tigers too.

However, Jeje started experiencing major injury troubles after the 2018-2019 period. He joined East Bengal in 2020, but his fitness and injury problems kept plaguing him. Lalepekhlua’s issues with persistent knee injuries held him down and forced him into an early retirement. Jeje’s last campaign was in 2020-21, as he retired at the age of 32 in 2023 and is currently a politician in Mizoram.

1. Tulsidas Balaram

Tulsidas Balaram is widely revered as one of the greatest forwards to ever play for the Indian national football team. The Secunderabad-born forward gained fame for his remarkable goal-scoring capability, excellent skills with the ball and undying spirit to get goals for his side.

Balaram enjoyed a prolific domestic career, playing for the reputed Hyderabad City Police side before enjoyting his very best years at East Bengal. He won the Santosh Trophy with both Hyderabad and Bengal, but his crowning moment really came with the Indian national team.

Balaram scored three goals in the 1958 Asian Games, where India finished 4th and he also famously scored goals against Hungary and Peru in the 1960 Rome Olympics.

Balaram won the 1962 Asian Games Gold Medal with India, scoring twice in the tournament, including against Japan! Despite his amazing performances as a forward or left-winger, Balaram was diagnosed with tuberculosis at the age of 27, which forced him to prematurely retire from football.

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