Sandesh Jhinghan awarded AIFF Men's Footballer of the Year 2020-21

It is the first time that the towering central defender has received the Player of the Year award, having won the Emerging Player of the Year Award in 2014.

He shared his joy at receiving the honour, saying: “Being voted by club coaches of the Hero ISL and the Hero I-League as the AIFF Men’s Footballer of the Year 2020-21 is a huge honour for me. I take this Award as a motivation to do better, and inspire others to follow their passion for the sport. A big thank you to AIFF, my family, my team-mates, support staff and all my coaches both at the club level, and at the National level for keeping their belief in me. And a big hug to all those teachers and well-wishers who have stood by me all throughout. This Award comes with a huge responsibility – not to let anyone down.”

Additionally, he has captained the senior team on five occasions, the most recent being the International Friendly against Oman in Dubai in March this year. He also received the prestigious Arjuna Award from the Government of India in 2020.

A former AIFF Academy cadet, Suresh was part of the Indian side that competed at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2017 and spent two seasons with the AIFF's developmental side Indian Arrows in the Hero I-League. Known for his never-ending stamina and box-to-box play, the midfielder has notched up five senior national team caps and started all three of India's games at the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in Doha in June.