Gostha Behari Pal (20 August 1896 – 8 April 1976) was an Indian footballer who played primarily as a defender. Nicknamed "the Chinese wall", Pal was the first captain of the India national team, played during the 1920s and 30s.
Spending most of his career in Mohun Bagan, Pal is regarded as the best Indian defender of all time and best player ever to have played for the century-old club.
Personal life
Born on 20 August 1896 in Bhojeswar, Faridpore, Bengal Presidency (now in Bangladesh), Pal was son of Baboo Shyamlal Pal, a businessman. He moved to Calcutta when he was an infant and lived there till his final days. Pal was a student of Sarada Charan Aryan Institution in Beniatola.
{ { Cquote|Even if you did not find it necessary to inform us about your marriage, it is my responsibility to bless you on behalf of the Club. After we won the 1911 IFA Shield, I got 12 of these badges made. I gave 11 to the 11 players and still have the 12th one with me. I had thought I will give it to someone who will carry forward the tradition and heritage of Mohun Bagan, someone who will always be with the Club.|source=Major Sailen Bose, then secretary of Mohun Bagan, after giving the Mohun Bagan badge to Pal after his marriage.}} Since his childhood, he used to play both football and cricket, alongside hockey and tennis. He later represented Mohun Bagan cricket team many times. Pal was married to Pushpa Kundu and gave birth their sons Nirangshu and Sukumar. He was influenced by legendary footballer Shibdas Bhaduri and choose football later, after watching Mohun Bagan's historic IFA Shield victory in 1911 from gallery.
Pal went to Vidyasagar College in Calcutta and came close to then principal Saradaranjan Ray, who is regarded as father of cricket in Bengal. He was given the title "Chowdhury" during British Raj, but never used it due to nationalist sentiments. Pal went on to write his autobiography which is unfinished and unpublished.
Club career
Sir Dukhiram Majumder was the father figure of football in India during the pre-independence era, credited for bringing up players like Pal, Shibdas Bhaduri and others. He was also groomed and coached by Rajen Sen and Major Sailen Bose.
Nicknamed as "Chiner Pracheer" (The Great Wall of China), Pal was one of the best defenders of contemporary Indian football. He started playing for Kumartuli Athletic Club at the age of 11, and was spotted there by Kalicharan Mitra, also known as Kali Mittir, one of only two Indian members in the governing body of the Indian Football Association (IFA) at the time. Mittir was influential and well-connected in the Indian football scene, and the first to identify Pal's unique defence techniques. He was signed by Mohun Bagan at the age of 16, as a replacement for Reverend Sudhir Chatterjee. After joining the team, he played in the 1914 Calcutta Football League second division; Mohun Bagan for the first time played in the tournament and finished third with only the top non-military team be promoted to CFL 1st Division. They played their first match of the first division on 15 May 1915 against Calcutta Cricket and Football Club, which was drawn. In 1916, he appeared in Asanullah Cup in Decca, in which they went down to Sovabazar Club in final.
Playing barefooted, Pal faced problems in his early games but regained his composure quickly to mark his monopoly in the defence, and is unanimously praised for his contributions in defence in the match against British team Black Watch. In 1921, Gostho Paul was honoured with the captaincy of the Mohun Bagan football team, and he remained as the club captain for next 5 years. He gained legendary status in 1923 when Mohun Bagan participated at the Rovers Cup in Bombay and defeated several English teams to reach the final, the first Indian team to do so – but lost 4–1 to a technically superior team 2nd Battalion of Durham Light Infantry. In the same year, they defeated Calcutta Cricket and Football Club, the oldest football club in the country with having Europeans in squad, for the first time in the return leg of CFL. In 1925, Mohun Bagan became the first civilian Indian team to be invited to the oldest football tournament in Asia, Durand Cup, where they lost to Sherwood Foresters in the semi-finals.