Subimal "Chuni" Goswami (15 January 1938– 30 April 2020) was an Indian professional footballer[1] and first-class cricketer. As footballer, he played as a striker or winger, captained both the Mohun Bagan[2][3] club and the Indian national team.[4] He also served as the Sheriff of Kolkata. Goswami scored nine goals in 30 international appearances. He was an Olympian, represented India national team at the 1960 Summer Olympics.[5][6] He also led the team to achieve the gold medal at the 1962 Asian Games,[7] and earn the runners-up position at the 1964 AFC Asian Cup.[8]
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 27 May 2008 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 27 May 2008
Playing for the India national team under coaching of legendary Syed Abdul Rahim,[9] Goswami was also a first class cricketer, playing Ranji Trophy for Bengal. He captained his team to the final of the tournament in 1971–72.[10] On 15 January 2020, India Post issued a commemorative postage stamp in his honour.[11] Goswami's autobiography Khelte Khelte was published in 1982.[12]
Personal life
Born in Kishoreganj, Bengal Presidency, Goswami moved to Calcutta and settled there in his childhood. His elder brother Manik Goswami was also a footballer who played for George Telegraph.[13] Goswami was married to Basanti and gave birth their son, named Sudipto.[14]
Football career
Chuni Goswami
Chuni Goswami holds the distinction of playing for a single club, Mohun Bagan, throughout his club career despite numerous offers from other clubs including one reported offer from Tottenham Hotspur.[15]
Chuni Goswami was the poster boy of Indian football. He was a top-class player with dribbling, passing, his ball control was better than anybody else. His passing and his through passes were excellent. He could assist strikers like Neville D'Souza and make them score with his beautiful passes.
—Gautam Roy, football historian, on Chuni Goswami to the Olympic Channel.[16]
Club career
Goswami joined the Mohun Bagan junior team in 1946 at the age of 8 years. He was a part of the junior squad up to 1954 and then graduated to the Mohun Bagan senior team.[17] Mentored by club legend Balaidas Chatterjee, Goswami went on to represent Mohun Bagan in various foreign tours.[18][19] He made his club debut on 29 May in the same year in Mohun Bagan's 3–0 win against Eastern Railway, in which he scored a goal.[12] In the 1959 CFL season, Goswami scored 14 goals for his team.[20] He continued playing for Mohun Bagan until his retirement in 1968. In the 1960s, Goswami and Jarnail Singh became two highest-paid players of the club; both of them captained the team respectively.[21] Goswami captained Mohun Bagan in five seasons from 1960 to 1964.[22][23] During his stay at the club, he won the Calcutta Football League six times, IFA Shield and Durand Cup four times.
International career
Chuni Goswami made his international debut for India in 1956 during the team's 1–0 victory over the Chinese Olympic team.[23] He went on to play for India in 50 international matches including in Olympics, Asian Games, Asia Cup and Merdeka Cup. He captained India to the Asian Games Gold Medal in 1962 and a Silver in the 1964 AFC Asian Cup in Tel Aviv and in the Merdeka Cup.[24][25][26][27] Goswami, known for having incredible partnership with P. K. Banerjee and Tulsidas Balaram, is one of the "Indian football's holy trinity".[28][29]
Career statistics
International statistics
Further information: India national football team results
Chuni Goswami made his first class debut for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy during the 1962–63 season.[57] He was a Right Handed Batsman and a Right Arm Medium Pacer. After retiring from football, Goswami fully focussed on playing cricket for West Bengal. He appeared in two Ranji Trophy finals, losing to Mumbai each time. In the 1968–69 final, he scored 96 and 84; but Ajit Wadekar's century helped Mumbai win on first innings lead. Later, he led the Bengal cricket team to a 1972 Ranji Trophy final which they lost to Mumbai for whom Gavaskar and Shivalkar starred. Playing for Combined East and Central Zone team against the touring West Indies side in December 1966, Chuni Goswami took 8 wickets in the match as his team surprisingly beat the tourists by an innings.[58] In his cricket career, which spanned up to the 1972–73 season, he played 46 first class matches, scoring 1,592 runs with one century and seven fifties, and took 47 wickets.[59]
Goswami died on 30 April 2020 at the age of 82 in Kolkata after a prolonged illness.[61] For the last few months, Goswami was suffering from underlying ailments with diabetes, prostate infection and neurological problems. His family confirmed that Goswami was admitted to a city hospital earlier in the day and died at 5 pm after a cardiac arrest.[62][63][64]
Awards
Goswami won numerous awards during his playing career as well as after retirement for his contribution towards Indian football. The prominent awards won by him are:[23]
1958 – Best Footballer Award by Kolkata Veterans Sports Club[12]
"Chuni Goswami". Olympedia. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
Kapadia, Novy (7 June 2015). "Mohun Bagan: Blaze of Glory". indianexpress.com. The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 22 February 2016. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
"OUR SPORTSMEN". 123india.com. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 27 September 2007.
"ফুটবলার তুলে আনতে জেলামুখী জর্জ টেলিগ্রাফ স্পোর্টস ক্লাব"[District oriented George Telegraph Sports Club to pick up footballers]. insidesports.in (in Bengali). Kolkata: Inside Sports Bengali. 18 July 2021. Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
Alam, Masud (19 April 2022). "৭ কোটি মানুষের জন্য ভালোবাসা নিয়ে ঢাকায় এসেছিল মোহনবাগান"[Mohun Bagan came to Dhaka with love for 7 crore people]. www.prothomalo.com (in Bengali). Dhaka, Bangladesh: The Daily Prothom Alo. Archived from the original on 2 October 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
Другой контент может иметь иную лицензию. Перед использованием материалов сайта WikiSort.org внимательно изучите правила лицензирования конкретных элементов наполнения сайта.
2019-2025 WikiSort.org - проект по пересортировке и дополнению контента Википедии