Then with the New York Cosmos, he came to play against us in Kolkata in 1977 as part of an Asian tour. It was the greatest moment of my football career. We held them to a 2-2 draw, and we were actually leading 2-1 heading into the dying moments of the game. The credit goes to the entire Mohun Bagan team.
It almost did not happen. Because the ground was wet, and Pelé’s insurance agents were wary of letting him play. He told them no, saying that he had never seen such a huge, fervent crowd and that he could not disappoint them. The crowd that day was in lakhs, and there was a sea of people outside the stadium, too. He played all 90 minutes.
I was lucky that I got the chance to mark him. I stopped him a few times, but he is Pelé, you know, he is un-markable. My thinking was clear. The moment I saw him as an opponent, I tried to forget that he was Pelé. I told myself that I was no less than any player in the world, that I was also someone.
There is a photo that was published by the Anandabazar Patrika at the time, the only such photo, which shows me trying to tackle Pelé. That picture, I am told, is displayed at the Cosmos club in New York even now.
This story is from the January 15, 2023 edition of THE WEEK India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January 15, 2023 edition of THE WEEK India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.