Born on 20th August, 1896 in Faridpur (present Bangladesh) Gostha Pal started his football career in Kumartuli club in 1907, when he was just eleven. His talent eventually took him to the famous Green and Maroon side of Calcutta. Rajen Sengupta, one of the stewards of the 1911 Shield win and Major Sailen Bose, an influential Bagan official helped Pal to join Mohun Bagan in 1913 – two years after the club’s historic Shield triumph. Playing as a right-back Gostha Pal teamed up with Bhuti Sukul, Habul Sarkar and Nilmadhab Bhattacharya from the Shield winning team. with legendary Bhuti Sukul, Habul Sarkar and Nilmadhab Bhattacharya from the Shield winning team.
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As a defender, Gostha Pal was unmatched in that era. Not only was he strong and physically daunting, but also possessed a keen eye to read the game properly. He was famous for his no-holds barred tackles and thumping long balls, despite playing bare feet. Pal’s debut in 1913 was hardly encouraging, as he struggled to cope with the booted Dalhousie FC players on a muddy ground. The Calcutta crowd, always critical of its players, came down heavily on the 17-year old player. Gostha Pal thought that his career in a big club was over even before it started. However, under the patient tutelage of Bhuti Sukul, Gostha Pal soon found his feet – dishing out a superlative performance against Black Watch in his second match.
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Facts:
Gostha Pal Was Born in Bhojeshwar, Faridpur, Bengal Presidency (now in Bangladesh) on August 20, 1896
He Was the First Captain of the Indian national football team
Gostha Pal played for Mohun Bagan and was named team captain in 1921
He played as a central defender and was nicknamed ‘Chiner Pracheer’ (The Wall of China)
Gostha Pal retired from football in 1936
He was the first Indian footballer to be honoured with the Padma Shri, on April 28, 1962
A statue was erected in his memory in 1983 on the Gostho Pal Sarani in Kolkata.
Mohun Bagan awarded him the 'Mohun Bagan Ratna' posthumously in 2004.
Records:
Awarded Padma Shri in 1962, fourth highest civilian award in India.
Mohun Bagan AC awarded him the Mohun Bagan Ratna posthumously, which is given to former greats of that club, in 2004. The family of Gostha Pal returned the Mohun Bagan Ratna to Mohun Bagan Club in 2019 in protest of the lackadaisical attitude of the club towards the legend's memorabilia.
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