Popularly known as the finest goalkeeper India ever had, Peter Thangaraj played for the national team between 1955 and 1967, making him the longest-serving Indian custodian. The Secunderabad-born player was rated the best ‘keeper in Asia in the 1960s, even making the cut for the Asian All-Stars during the same period.
Indian football expert Novy Kapadia, in his book ‘Barefoot to Boots’, describes Thangaraj as “an imposing figure who could intimidate opposing forwards”. Thangaraj, who passed away aged 72 in 2008, had a commanding aerial prowess and was known for dramatic reflex-action saves.
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Alongside P.K. Banerjee and Chunni Goswami, Thangaraj was one of the lynchpins of the Indian squad in the 1950s and 1960s. He started his football career with Morning Star Club and Friends Union Club of Secunderabad. He joined the Indian Army in 1953 and began representing the Madras Regimental Centre where he played as a centre forward, but took to goalkeeping subsequently with great success. Madras Regimental Centre won the Durand Cup in 1955 and 1958. Thangaraj captained the Services team for its first-ever triumph in the Santosh Trophy in 1960.
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Facts:
Apart from the Olympics and 1962 Asian Games, Thangaraj also represented India in 1958, 1966 Asian Games, and 1964 AFC Asian Cup. He also tasted a lot of success at the domestic level. He won the Santosh Trophy in 1960 with Services before leaving MRC for Kolkata giants Mohammedan Sporting, a club that paid him big money for his services. Since Thangaraj, three more goalkeepers have won the Arjuna Award — Brahmanand Sankhwalkar (1997), Subrata Paul (2016), and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (2019) but there has not been a single counterpart who could match the legend in his talent, achievements and fan following.
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Records:
Asian Games Gold medal: 1962
AFC Asian Cup runners-up: 1964
Colombo Cup: 1955
Merdeka Tournament runner-up: 1959; third-place: 1966
Arjuna Award: 1967
AFC Asian All Stars: 1967
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