5. Jo Paul Ancheri
Ancheri is a former professional Indian football player and captain of India who was known for his versatility on the field as he was able to play as a striker or midfielder or even defender too. Named as AIFF Player of the Year twice in 1994 and 2001, Ancheri made 33 appearances for Indian national team and netted 7 times.In 1993, Ancheri got selected for India U-21 football team and also he was handed his first professional contract for a club and the club was State Bank Of Travancore(SBT).
His U-21 Indian team selection took Thrissur’s football madness(his birth place) to another level. Over the very next year, he signed for Mohun Bagan – a dream come true for a young Indian football lover. Who could have known that he will win the AIFF footballer Of The Year award at his very first year with the Mariners. After a year he signed for JCT Mills and spent three successful years with the club. Later he went on to play for FC Kochin, East Bengal and then for JCT Mills again. After hanging his boots, he managed India U-15 in 2011 and Eagles football club in 2012. Now he is managing Mohun Bagan’s U-18 youth team and passing on his football knowledge to young budding footballers.
The list of legends produced by JCT doesn’t ends here. There are some other noteable names too, who played for this historical club and then made India and their respective states proud. The likes of Baichung Bhutia, Baljit Sahani, Carlton Chapman, Anwar Ali also spent some years of their illustrious career with the club and gained lot of skills and knowledge from there. The one name worth mentioning is Sukhwinder Singh, the man behind 1996/97 National Football League victory with JCT as a manager. He managed JCT from 1995 till 2001 and nurtured a lot of footballers in his time with the club.
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