Right Inside. A play maker par excellence, he
played for the club from 1941 - 1955 and he was the captain
in 1946. He had an acute asthma problem but that could not deter
his passion for the game. He overcame all problems by dint of
his mental strength and rendered his best possible service to
our club during his football career.
He used to be called 'Baba' (meaning father) by
his co -players as he was a very caring and gentle person who
carried himself with great dignity. Overall he scored 61 goals
for the Club.
Paritosh Chakravarty
Full Back. Reputed for his tackle and sturdy clearances.
Played for East Bengal from 1942 to 1949 (Eight years in a row)
and was the Captain of the Club in 1945 when the Club achieved
the first double of winning the League and I.F.A. Shield. He
was also the member of the team when the Club recorded its maiden
victories in League (1942) and I.F.A. Shield (1943).
He was also part of the team in 1949 when the
Club won all the major tournamements of the country i.e. League,
Shield and Rovers Cup (Durand Cup was not held). He played for
Indians -vs- Europeans in 1942, 1943, 1945 and 1947. He was
actively associated with Veterans Football after retirement.
S. Nayyar
Center Forward. Played for East Bengal in the
years 1939, 1945 & 1946. In 1946 he scored 36 goals in the
1st Div League and made a record. It's a record, which remains
unbroken till date. In 1939 he scored 3 goals, 1945 - 6 goals
and in 1946 apart from Calcutta League he scored another 6 goals
in I.F.A. Shield.
P.B.A. Saleh
Left-Out. He ends the list of the Pancha Pandav
(Famous Five) of the Maidan. Venkatesh, Apparao, Dhanraj, Ahmed
along with Salleh made the VADAS attack of East Bengal. Salleh
played for our club from 1945 to 1953 and was the captain in
1950. He also represented Indian Football team in 1948 and 1952
Olympic games. He scored 55 goals for the Club.
Byomkesh Bose
Defender. Participated in 1952 Olympic games
for India. He played his total football career in our club from
1948-1958. He was the captain of the club in 1951 the year we
won the IFA Shield (third year in a row) and Durand Cup. It
was also under his captaincy that East Bengal beat F.C.Gotheburg
(Sweden) 1-0.
P. Venkatesh
Right Winger. The best Right Winger ever produced
in India. Played for India in 1948 & 1952 Olympic games
and played in our club from 1948-1953, 1956 and 1959. He was
the captain in 1952. Overall he scored 81 goals for the Club
being the highest scorer in 1953.
Taj Mohammed
Defender. This player from the newly formed country
of Pakistan played for East Bengal for just a year in 1949 but
what a display it was that that generation still remembers him
with great admiration.
K.P. Dhanraj
Center Forward. Played from 1949 to 1953 and
from 1957 to 1959. He was the highest scorer in 1st Div League
in 1950 with 18 goals. He was famous on the Calcutta Maidans
as a specialist header. He scored 126 goals for the Club being
the highest scorer from 1949 to 1953.
Ahmed Khan
Left-in-side. The finest footballer ever born
in India. He was called the Magician of Indian Football - a
total snake charmer. Played in our club from 1949 - 1959 and
was the captain in 1954. He was also a member of India Football
team in 1948 and 1952 Olympic games. He was elected the best
forward of the millennium of our club. He was an obsession with
East Bengal fans.
Just mentioning his name to the generation that
saw him in action still gets them into an animated reverie.
At eighty he still rides his scooter on the streets of Bangalore.
He scored 63 goals for the Club being their highest scorer in
1954.
Manilal Ghatak
Goalkeeper. Hailing from North Bengal, he joined
the Club in 1949 and represented them continuously till 1955
(Seven years in a row). It was during this period the club struck
a purple patch and played outstanding football. It was a Golden
era for the Club during which it won the League (1949, 1950,
1952), I.F.A. Shield (1949, 1950, 1951), Rovers Cup (1949),
D.C.M. Trophy
(1950 and 1952) and Durand Cup (1951 and 1952).
He was member of the Club team which toured Romania and Soviet
Union in 1953.
