Football lovers in Calcutta will never forget the date: September 28, 1977. That was the day when football lovers in the city were forever divided into two groups – those who had watched Edson Arantes do Nascimento play at the Eden Gardens and those who had not.
Close to 40 years later, Pele will be returning to Kolkata. And not just him. There is a high probability that Manchester United captain and England’s highest goal-scorer Wayne Rooney will also visit the city in October. But there is no suspense over whose visit is being more anticipated. Rooney may be among the world’s most famous sportsmen but for the faithful fans in Kolkata who still fondly remember that fateful monsoon afternoon at the Eden Gardens, it is undoubtedly the 77-year-old Pele who will be the bigger attraction.
Multiple versions
Like any good yarn, there are multiple, even conflicting, versions of memories about the actual game that Pele last played in the city. The New York Cosmos, which he joined after retiring from the Brazil squad, had agreed to play an exhibition game against Mohun Bagan at the Eden Gardens and the hype before the game was unprecedented. Some accounts, like Shyamal Majumdar’s in the Business Standard, state that Pele only took the field for half an hour, playing quite below his usual standard. This led to rumours in the crowd that the man on the pitch was an imposter masquerading as Pele.
Another version comes from Manabendra Majumdar, a chartered account and a football fan who claims he was at the game. According to him, Pele did not play any part in the game, but showed off some of his famous tricks with the ball during half-time.
Other reports however, agree that Pele played the entire game showing glimpses of his magic of old. Immediately after the game kicked off, a pin-perfect thorough ball from Pele led to the Cosmos’ first goal. However, Mohun Bagan soon equalised and then took the lead, springing hopes of a shock upset. The Cosmos however scored again after half-time and the match finished 2-2. It is said that Pele was greatly appreciative of the efforts of Goutam Sarkar, the Mohun Bagan defender who had been assigned the task of man-marking him.
“The field was muddy and wet due to the incessant rain,” reminisced Subhabrata Dhara, a government servant who was also at the game. On the night Pele and his team arrived in Kolkata, Dhara and his friends spent the entire night at Chittaranjan Avenue in the hope of getting a glimpse of the Brazilian maestro on his way to the hotel form the airport. “Supposedly, Pele’s feet were insured for a huge sum so he didn’t play for a long time, not wanting to risk damaging his precious feet. But in the limited time he did play, two shots stand out in memory – a shot by him where the ball made a complete 360 degree turn and another move where he somehow managed to turn his entire knee while taking a pass. Those two moves were enough to satisfy the massive crowd. “
Mass hysteria
What is not disputed is the response which Pele received on his maiden visit to India. As is evident from the grainy footage, Pele’s arrival in Kolkata evoked mass hysteria. On his arrival at the airport, Pele was greeted by a huge crowd, all straining to catch a glimpse of the superstar. On the day of the match, schools were shut. An 80,000-odd audience turned out to cheer him on. Pele was so overwhelmed by the response that he assured the crowd that he would come back again.
Over the next three decades, Kolkata played host to many great footballers – among them Diego Maradona who bonded with former West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu over Fidel Castro and Lionel Messi, who memorably played an international friendly against Venezuela in 2008 here. As Pele prepares to make his long-awaited return to the city that has never quite forgotten him, he may find that little has changed – Kolkata will yet again turn out in full force to catch a glimpse of the legend.
Close to 40 years later, Pele will be returning to Kolkata. And not just him. There is a high probability that Manchester United captain and England’s highest goal-scorer Wayne Rooney will also visit the city in October. But there is no suspense over whose visit is being more anticipated. Rooney may be among the world’s most famous sportsmen but for the faithful fans in Kolkata who still fondly remember that fateful monsoon afternoon at the Eden Gardens, it is undoubtedly the 77-year-old Pele who will be the bigger attraction.
Multiple versions
Like any good yarn, there are multiple, even conflicting, versions of memories about the actual game that Pele last played in the city. The New York Cosmos, which he joined after retiring from the Brazil squad, had agreed to play an exhibition game against Mohun Bagan at the Eden Gardens and the hype before the game was unprecedented. Some accounts, like Shyamal Majumdar’s in the Business Standard, state that Pele only took the field for half an hour, playing quite below his usual standard. This led to rumours in the crowd that the man on the pitch was an imposter masquerading as Pele.
Another version comes from Manabendra Majumdar, a chartered account and a football fan who claims he was at the game. According to him, Pele did not play any part in the game, but showed off some of his famous tricks with the ball during half-time.
Other reports however, agree that Pele played the entire game showing glimpses of his magic of old. Immediately after the game kicked off, a pin-perfect thorough ball from Pele led to the Cosmos’ first goal. However, Mohun Bagan soon equalised and then took the lead, springing hopes of a shock upset. The Cosmos however scored again after half-time and the match finished 2-2. It is said that Pele was greatly appreciative of the efforts of Goutam Sarkar, the Mohun Bagan defender who had been assigned the task of man-marking him.
“The field was muddy and wet due to the incessant rain,” reminisced Subhabrata Dhara, a government servant who was also at the game. On the night Pele and his team arrived in Kolkata, Dhara and his friends spent the entire night at Chittaranjan Avenue in the hope of getting a glimpse of the Brazilian maestro on his way to the hotel form the airport. “Supposedly, Pele’s feet were insured for a huge sum so he didn’t play for a long time, not wanting to risk damaging his precious feet. But in the limited time he did play, two shots stand out in memory – a shot by him where the ball made a complete 360 degree turn and another move where he somehow managed to turn his entire knee while taking a pass. Those two moves were enough to satisfy the massive crowd. “
Mass hysteria
What is not disputed is the response which Pele received on his maiden visit to India. As is evident from the grainy footage, Pele’s arrival in Kolkata evoked mass hysteria. On his arrival at the airport, Pele was greeted by a huge crowd, all straining to catch a glimpse of the superstar. On the day of the match, schools were shut. An 80,000-odd audience turned out to cheer him on. Pele was so overwhelmed by the response that he assured the crowd that he would come back again.
Over the next three decades, Kolkata played host to many great footballers – among them Diego Maradona who bonded with former West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu over Fidel Castro and Lionel Messi, who memorably played an international friendly against Venezuela in 2008 here. As Pele prepares to make his long-awaited return to the city that has never quite forgotten him, he may find that little has changed – Kolkata will yet again turn out in full force to catch a glimpse of the legend.
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