Sailendra Nath Manna, known popularly as Sailen Manna, was an Indian football player who represented the India national team between 1948 and 1956.
18 Facts About Sailen Manna
2.
Predominantly played as a left-back, Manna is considered as one of the best defenders the country has ever produced.
3.
Sailen Manna has represented and captained India in different international competitions, including the Olympics and Asian Games.
4.
Sailen Manna has represented Mohun Bagan in club football, one of the oldest clubs in India, for a continuous period of 19 years.
5.
Sailen Manna was the only Asian footballer to be named among the ten best Captains in the world by the English FA in 1953.
6.
Sailen Manna graduated from the Surendranath College, an affiliated college of the University of Calcutta.
7.
Sailen Manna started his playing career with Howrah Union, then a club in the second Division of the Kolkata Football League, in 1940.
8.
Sailen Manna was part of Bengal's multiple Santosh Trophy wins under coaching of Balaidas Chatterjee.
9.
Sailen Manna was part of the India national team managed by Balaidas Chatterjee that participated at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London.
10.
Sailen Manna played in the tournament in bare feet; their bravery earned admiration of Princess Margaret of England.
11.
Sailen Manna was the captain of the Syed Abdul Rahim managed Indian team in 1952 Helsinki Olympics and a member of the 1954 Asian Games.
12.
Sailen Manna used to keep a picture of the Hindu deity Kali, tucked away in his pocket.
13.
Sailen Manna hung up his boots on 27 August 1960 after playing in India's international charity match against Indonesia in New Delhi.
14.
Sailen Manna managed the national team in 1968 Merdeka Cup.
15.
Sailen Manna later became team official of Mohun Bagan and went with Karuna Bhattacharya managed team to newly independent Bangladesh in May 1972, where they defeated Dhaka Mohammedan in first match, but lost to Shadhin Bangla football team in their last match.
16.
Sailen Manna was 87 years old and was survived by his wife and daughter.
17.
Sailen Manna was definitely an accomplished player and endeared everyone with his great human qualities.
18.
Sailen Manna's man-marking was perfect and it was a tough task for any striker to go past him.