Kerala Blasters omit club legends Hume, Vineeth, Jhingan from anniversary tribute

Today, Kerala Blasters celebrate their ninth foundation day.

To commemorate the occasion, the club released an artwork on its social media handles featuring prominent coaches and players that represented the Blasters over the years.

Three head coaches and 12 former players feature in it.

Those who feature in the artwork include head coaches David James, Steve Coppell and Ivan Vukomanovic, who guided them to the ISL finals. Player-turned-assistant coach Ishfaq Ahmed too features prominently in the graphic.

Among the current players, striker Dimitrios Diamantakos, Adrian Luna, Sahal Abdul Samad, Jeakson Singh and KP Rahul make the list.

And from the past: Defenders Cedric Hengbart, Wes Brown and Aaron Hughes and strikers Bart Ogbeche, Dimitar Berbatov and Gary Hooper.

However, one that has followed the club since its inception in 2014 would soon realise that a few notable names are missing. The prominent ones absent from the artwork are club legends Iain Hume, Sandesh Jhingan and CK Vineeth.

Where's Humettan?
Canadian striker Hume was the Blasters' first superstar. His charisma, more than the goals, was influential in the Blasters' march to the final in the inaugural season.

He top-scored with five goals and returned to the club two seasons later to yet again finish as their leading goalscorer of the 2017-18 season.

The Blasters' faithful dubbed him 'Humettan' with '-ettan' an honorific meaning elder brother.

And the leading Indian marksman?
No Malayali has had a more telling impact on the club than Kannur-native CK Vineeth. His 11 goals over two seasons puts him second among the Blasters' all-time scorers list behind Bart Ogbeche (15).

It would not be an exaggeration to say that Vineeth was the most influential player in the Blasters' 2016 season where they reached a second final, this time under another Englishman Coppell.

Vineeth initially arrived on loan from Bengaluru FC and transformed the Blasters' season. He finished with a club-leading five goals from nine matches that season.

Also, the Captain, Leader, Legend?
Another big omission is Sandesh Jhingan, who was a former captain and popular player of the Manjappada.

Such was the centre-back's influence in the club that his No 21 jersey was retired once he bid goodbye in May 2020, ending a six-year association with the club.

But Jhingan turned into a villain when he passed a sexist comment aimed at his former club that ended their once unbreakable relationship. The club brought back the jersey too.