Former international footballer Morankandi Bharathan

 Former international footballer Morankandi Bharathan   (M.Bharathan).

Morankandi Bharathan from Kannur  had played football at national level and international level from 1973 to 1975.

The former Vasco, Goa defender who rose up in football through the ranks of Kannur club ‘Spirited Youths’ represented India in the famous Merdeka Trophy in Malaysia in 1975.

Nearly 12 years he was with Vasco, one of the nation’s strongest clubs of the time, Bharathan had helped the Goans win trophies in the Sait Nagjee Trophy at Kozhikode, the Chakola Trophy in Thrissur, the G V Raja tournament in Thiruvananthapuram and the KFA Shield at Changanassery.

He had represented Kerala and Goa in the Santhosh Trophy.  When Kerala won its first Santhosh Trophy title in 1973, he had played for Goa, which lost in the semifinal.

Denson Devadas

Denson Devadas was born in Kannur, Kerala. His grandfather was a hockey player who played the Senior National Championship. His father, Devadas Anthony, was a footballer who played for Services football Team in the Santosh Trophy..

He started playing football  when he was studying in the Army School,  Kannur. The school was famous for sports and he was the Captain of his school team. After passing out from school, he joined Srinarayana College, Kannur where he used to play for his college team. He was a striker  both while in school and college. Later on, he also was the Captain of the University team.

In the year 2004, Viva Kerala selected him after conducting a trial. He got selected as a striker. Chathuni Sir was the Coach of Viva Kerala at that time. He stayed in Viva Kerala till 2006.

It was Chathuni Sir who brought him to the midfield Viva Kerala was playing a friendly match against the Kerala Football Team and one of his team midfielders got injured. The coach asked him to play in midfield. Seeing his performance, he asked him to continue playing as the defensive medio. His team became the State League Champions that year.

Denson joined Mohun Bagan in 2013. In his first season he played 25 matches and scored 2 goals. Denson left Mohun Bagan at the end of the 2013-2014 I League. However he was signed back by Mohun Bagan for the 2014-15 season, after he played for Chennaiyin F.C. in the Indian Super League.

C.K.Vineeth

Born in Kannur, Kerala, Vineeth made his debut for Chirag  United Kerala in the
 I-League  during the 2010-11 season after starting his amateur career with 
Chennai Customs and Kerala State Electricity.

Vineeth made his international debut for India on 6 February 2013 against 
Palastine  in an international friendly. 


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N.K.Jayaraj -State Footballer of 60's....

Shri.N.K.Jayaraj,  who hailed from Kannur had  played as half-back for Kerala as well as for Mysore during 60's. 

He represented Kerala in Sait Nagjee Trophy, Vital Trophy, Mamman Mappile Trophy etc.  He had joined Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bangalore in 1962.

He was a Life Member of Karnataka State Football Association (KSFA) and served in KSFA's governing body also.  He had also held various capacities in Bangalore District Football Association.

Veteran footballer   Shri.N.K.Jayaraj  aged 74  died on 20th February - 2013 in Bangalore  due to  heart ailment.

C.M. Chidanandan

C.M. Chidanandan   in his teenage,  started playing football at Brothers Club in Kannur.

He  was one of the early heroes of Kerala football. A fearsome forward who kept rival defences guessing, and back-lapping once in possession.

C.M. Chidanandan played for the State for four years between 1959 and 1962 before moving out of Kerala to join the Indian Army.

In between, he also played for Kolkata giant Mohun Bagan for one season in the company of greats like Chuni Goswami, Jarnail Singh, Mariappa Kempaiah, Arumanayagam and T. Abdul Rahman, before a bout of typhoid and an injury forced him to return home to Kannur.

And, through the following few years, he donned the colours of MRC-Wellingdon, prior to moving out of the Army and taking up several jobs, including one in the Gulf and, on retirement, settling down in Chennai.

He said, At the Brothers Club in Kannur where he  started playing as a teenager, there was an internal league, with players divided into five teams. And these matches then used to draw crowds of more than 3,000 spectators. Now we seem to have a very small number of tournaments.

2015 December Month.

മുൻ കേരള ക്യാപ്ടൻ ശ്രി സി എം ചിതാനന്ദൻകണ്ണൂർ മുനിസിപ്പാൽ ജവഹർ സ്റ്റേഡിയത്തിൽ നടന്നു വരുന്ന സീനിയർ ഡിവിഷൻ ലീഗ്  ചാപിയെൻഷിപ്പിൽ കളിക്കാരുമായി പരിജയപെടുന്നു. കൂടെ ശ്രി സി വി സുനിൽ, ബി ഉമ്മർ സി ഡി എഫ് എ പ്രസിഡന്റും വൈസ് പ്രസിഡന്റും.

Chidanandan Cheruvari   October 5 · Edited ·  Brothers. :-) — with Tirthanandan.

Courtesy :
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=201038343641209&set=rpd.100012051341572&type=3&theater

Chidanandan Cheruvari   February 2, 1961 · ·   At Entebbe Airport.

Chidanandan Cheruvari   October 2 ·   With Balakrishnan Keral Team Captain and Thomas Jacob KFA Secretary.

Chidanandan Cheruvari  October 5 ·      With Haridas (played hockey, football, and cricket for East Bengal.), Tailor Rajan AKA, Abdulhafeez Kp, Majid, Ravi M P and Chatta Jayan.

Kerala State Team - 1958 Santosh Trophy with then Transport Minister - TV Thomas
Unfortunately Kerala was out early in this tournament. — with Tirthanandan, Sangita Madhavan Nair, Thambi (reserve goalie), Balan Panikkan, Krishnan Nair, Balakrishnan (Captain), George (Right forward), Indrabalan, TV Thomas (Transport Minister), Selvam George, Hameed (center forward), Papachan (coach), C. P. Krishnan Nair and Indrapalanagaram fb friends at Trivandrum.

Chidanandan Cheruvari   February 2, 1961 · ·  With Olympian Rehman and Vijayraghavan (a friend) at Dar es Salaam.

Chidanandan Cheruvari   October 5, 1956 · Edited · ·  St. Aloysius College, Mangalore ~1956 — with Joseph (forward) kannur, Gun Ravi (Forward right), Mithran (goalie), Tirthanandan, Ravi (defensive player) and Ravi Captain of team.

Chidanandan Cheruvari

October 5, 1956 · Edited · ·

St. Aloysius College, Mangalore ~1956. — with Lakshmanan Kannur karan, Janarthanan (Right out), Mithran (Goalie), Thirtanandan, Vijayan (dont remember position), Sachindran (Position not sure), Ravi (defensive player) and Pranhakaran aka Machhu.

Chidanandan Cheruvari

October 5, 1956 · Edited · ·

St. Aloysius College, Mangalore ~1956 — with Joseph (forward) kannur, Gun Ravi (Forward right), Mithran (goalie), Tirthanandan, Ravi (defensive player) and Ravi Captain of team.

Chidanandan Cheruvari   October 5, 1961 · Edited · ·             Mohun Bagan, 1961 —  ( Chidanandan standing Extreme left next to White coat)  -  with Dipu Dass, Sailen Manna (MB Coach & Captain London Olympics Indian Team), Arunai Naigan (left out - wild guess), Chuni Goswami, Taha Rehman, Jarnail Singh Asia Team Captain and Kempaih at Entebbe Airport.

M.NAJEEB

M. Najeeb scored the lone goal to help the Maharashtra state lift the 56th Santosh Trophy (beating hosts Kerala 1-0 at Thrissur) in 2000. (Ironically the goal which sealed the fate of Kerala was scored by a boy from Kannur wearing Maharashtra colours). 

M. Najeeb  represented India in a number of international tournaments for eight years. Najeeb also played for leading clubs in the country. In 2001, he was reported to be the most expensive player in the country with an annual earning of Rs 12 lakh. He was then playing for Mahindra United.

In 1995 he was part of the Indian team for the pre-Olympics in Russia. In 1999, he played for the country in the SAF Games in Nepal in which India won a bronze. He scored a goal in India's 2-1 victory in the quarter-finals. He played in the Merdeka Cup in Malaysia in 2000 and Asia Cup in Abu Dhabi. He was part of the Indian team's London tour in 2001. IM Vijayan and Joe Paul Ancheri were his teammates. 

While all his teammates in the national team got government jobs under sports quota, Najeeb did not. The reason, Najeeb doesn't know. He keeps trying by knocking at the doors of the chief minister and central ministers. .......................... read more........

C K Baburaj

Veteran footballer  Late CK Baburaj,  former goalkeeper of  the  Kerala team in the Santosh Trophy (in the Guwahati in 1988-89 ),was a member of the Calicut University football team while he was a student in Payyannur College and went on to play Indian Universities team.Later he played for many teams including Keltron and KSEB.