After taking shooting to new heights in Indian sport, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore voiced his support for Indian footballers, asking the media to make them more popular.

"We have a lot of very good players but we hardly know about our national footballers other than Baichung Bhutia. You should project them more," the Olympic silver medallist said on Wednesday, when asked to name his favourite stars other than the Indian captain.

Talking to reporters, after watching the inaugural ceremony of the 2004 Subroto Cup football tournament, Rathore also recollected his love for the world's most popular sport.

"It was difficult for me to find a dribbling partner. Finally, I used to dribble with my pet because dogs are very fast.

"Football is an amazing sport and I used to follow European soccer when I was training in Italy," he said, adding that retired French football superstar Zinedine Zidane is his favourite footballer.

Asked about the awards that will come in recognition of his historic feat at Athens, becoming the first Indian to win an individual silver medal, Rathore said the biggest award for him was the smile on the people's face.

"For me the biggest award is the happiness on the faces of the people," he said.