Shibdas Bhaduri was an Indian footballer played as a striker. He captained Mohun Bagan in the historic IFA Shield final on 29 July 1911, where they defeated the East Yorkshire Regiment in final, with a score of 2–1 to become the first Indian team to win the competition.
Gostha Behari Pal 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.
Sailendra Nath Manna, known popularly as Sailen Manna, was an Indian football player who represented the India national team between 1948 and 1956. Predominantly played as a left-back, Manna is considered as one of the best defenders the country has ever produced. He has represented and captained India in different international competitions, including the Olympics and Asian Games.
Subhash Bhowmick was an Indian football player and manager. During his playing career, he represented the "Big Two" of Kolkata football, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. He also represented India in various international tournaments between 1970 and 1985.
Subimal "Chuni" Goswami was an Indian professional footballer and first-class cricketer. As footballer, he played as a striker or winger, captained both the Mohun Bagan club and the India national team. He also served as the Sheriff of Kolkata. Goswami scored nine goals in 30 international appearances. He was an Olympian, represented India national team at the 1960 Summer Olympics. He also led the team to achieve the gold medal at the 1962 Asian Games, and earn the runners-up position at the 1964 AFC Asian Cup.
Pradip Kumar BanerjeeFIFAOM was an Indian professional footballer who played as a striker for the India national football team. He also captained the national team and later on became the coach of the national team. He represented India in 45 official matches and scored 15 official goals for the country. He was one of the first recipients of Arjuna Award, when the awards were instituted in 1961. He was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri in 1990 and was named Indian Footballer of the 20th century by IFFHS. In 2004, he was awarded the FIFA Order of Merit, the highest honour awarded by FIFA.
Krishanu Dey was an Indian footballer from Kolkata, India. He was an attacking midfielder and was known as the "Indian Maradona" among his fans due to his footballing skills and playing style.
Sudip Chatterjee, nicknamed Tulu, was an Indian international football player and coach. He started his career as a centre back and then moved to the right back position before switching to the midfielder role. As a Midfielder, he was considered among the finest players in Indian football. He also managed Bengal in Santosh Trophy and won the 1998–99 edition.
Sheoo Mewalal was an Indian footballer in Kolkata. He played as a striker and was known for his fitness, bicycle kicks, and goal-scoring abilities, especially using the rabona kick.
Amal Dutta was a former Indian footballer, coach and football manager. Born in Calcutta, then Bengal Presidency, he is considered as the first professional football coach in the country. A finest thinker of the sport, Dutta had a rivalry with Pradip Kumar Banerjee during his coaching days in Kolkata club football.
Aryan Football Club is an Indian professional multi-sports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal, known predominantly for its association football section. The club competes in the Calcutta Football League, oldest league in Asia.
Subrata Bhattacharya is an Indian football manager and former professional footballer. He primarily played as a defender for India national team and spent seventeen years playing for Mohun Bagan. He was the stopper back for Mohun Bagan during 1975 IFA Shield final when East Bengal beat Mohun Bagan 5–0, the biggest ever margin in the Kolkata Derby. He won Indian National Football League for two times as a coach of Mohun Bagan. He was conferred with the Arjuna Award in 1989.
Samar "Badru" Banerjee was an Indian footballer who played primarily as a striker for the India national football team. He captained India at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, where they achieved fourth place.
Balaidas Chatterjee was an Indian footballer and football manager, who played predominantly as defender. He became the first head coach of the India national team and guided them at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. During his playing days, Chatterjee played for Mohun Bagan in various domestic competitions.
Football is one of the most popular sports in Kolkata, West Bengal. East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan are the heart of Kolkata football. The rivalry between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, originating from the Calcutta Football League as the Kolkata derby, is one of the fiercest in the world and considered among the flagship events in the Indian footballing calendar. Kolkata is known to be the Mecca of Indian football, with the two most supported teams in the country being based within the city – Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. The city is also home to the biggest football stadium in India, the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, which as of 2015 has a capacity of 85,000. The record attendance of 131,781 came in a match between the said two teams in the semifinal of the 1997 Federation Cup.
Karuna Sankar Bhattacharya (1909–1979) was a former Indian footballer who represented and captained the India national football team and Mohun Bagan, a football club in Kolkata. The Karuna Bhattacharya Award is given to the best player of Mohun Bagan in every season. On 11 July 2015 Mohun Bagan conferred the "Mohun Bagan Ratna" to Karuna Bhattacharya. He was the first captain of the India national football team during their first officially recognised match in the international tour of Australia against the Australia national football team in 1938.
Shyam Thapa is a retired Indian footballer who played for the India national football team and was the bronze-medallist at the 1970 Asian Games. He later went on to manage the Nepal national football team. Coached by P. K. Banerjee, Thapa became one of the finest and aggressive strikers of the country during the 1970s, known for his bicycle-kicks.
Sukumar Samajpati was an Indian professional footballer. He played predominantly as a forward, and was part of the Indian squad that finished runners-up at the 1964 AFC Asian Cup in Israel.
Surajit Sengupta was an Indian footballer who played as a winger. He played for the India national team, representing the country in the 1974 Asian Games in Tehran and the 1978 Asian Games in Bangkok. In a domestic career spanning twelve years between 1971 and 1983, he had represented all three of Calcutta's football clubs, Mohun Bagan FC, East Bengal FC, and Mohammedan Sporting FC, and was considered one of the finest forwards of his time. Sengupta won the IFA Shield and the Calcutta Football League six times each and the Durand Cup thrice while representing East Bengal FC.
Dukhiram Majumder was an Indian footballer, football manager, scout and club official, who is regarded as the first football coach in the country. He first understood the importance of Indian players wearing boots. During his coaching days, Majumder managed Calcutta Football League side Aryans Club, alongside nurturing talents like Gostha Pal, Shibdas Bhaduri, Syed Abdus Samad, Karuna Bhattacharya, and Balaidas Chatterjee.
