On Sept 24, 1977, Pele brought Kolkata, the undisputed Mecca of Indian football, to a complete standstill
The Brazilian icon, who had already lifted three FIFA World Cup trophies, arrived in Kolkata at the age of 38 to lead his club, New York Cosmos, in an exhibition match against home favourites Mohun Bagan at Eden Gardens. But thanks to goals from Md Habib and Shyam Thapa, Mohun Bagan held a 2-1 lead against the star-studded Cosmos side until a controversial late penalty levelled the score at 2-2. “He was wary of taking the field due to the sticky turf that had turned slippery after rain.
Under the leadership of captain Subrata Bhattacharya, Bagan captured the “Triple Crown”—winning the IFA Shield, Durand Cup and Rovers Cup in the 1977–78 season for the first time in the club’s history. But it was a decision prompted by respect to Pele, I guess,” said Sarkar. For Bagan fans, Pele’s lacklustre display was well compensated by the brilliant show of their side with players like Habib, Sarkar, Thapa and Bhattacharya playing out of their skin, probably enthused by the presence of the world’s greatest footballer,” said Roy.
The exhilarating draw against world-class opposition provided a massive boost to Bengal’s enduring passion for the “beautiful game. For Mohun Bagan, it turned out to be a turning point. Coming off a disheartening period marked by unexpected defeats in both the Calcutta Football League derby and the Federation Cup final, the result galvanised the squad. With Bagan leading the match, the green-and-maroon fans were over the moon, recalled Bagan midfielder Gautam Sarkar. “We were all in awe of Pele and it was a privilege playing against him. But once the match started, there was no reverence and we played hard. We deserved to win and the penalty was actually a wrong decision. The ball hadn’t touched our defender Sudhir Karmakar’s hand and even Pele admitted it. Pele, however, played just the first half. Eventually, he agreed to take the field since the entire stadium was waiting to see him. The deafening roar, when he took the field, still rings in my ears. But he could not move fast or display his trademark skills which the spectators had expected to see.
On the field, the PK Banerjee-coached Bagan produced an outstanding performance that exceeded all expectations. They not only contained Pele and prevented him from finding the back of the net, but they also came tantalisingly close to securing a historic victory. Cosmos took an early lead through Carlos Alberto’s goal.