Cheema Okerie - Foreign Star in Indian Football

In the 1980s, due to the retirement of some of the local stars, the popularity of the sport took a dip and football in India needed a crowd puller. Cheema Okerie came to India as a student and was studying in Vizag when the Mohammedan Sporting coach-cum-player Shabbir Ali spotted him in a Durand Cup game and invited him to play in Calcutta in 1985. Cheema soon became a household name in the city with his ruthless, power-packed football. He broke a number of records in the Calcutta League, even topping the charts for a couple of years. He also played for East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. Until now Mohun Bagan always recruited Indian footballers, as they prided themselves as the ‘National club of India’. However, times were changing, and much against the will of some officials, they signed Cheema in 1991. Cheema quickly became one of the most popular player among the fans. During his time in Calcutta he scored a whopping 280 goals in 400 matches.
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