P. K. Banerjee

Pradip Kumar Banerjee (23 June 1936 – 20 March 2020)[5] 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.[6] He represented India in 45 official matches and scored 15 official goals for the country.[7] 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.[8][9][10]

For the diplomat, see P. K. Banerjee (Indian diplomat).

P. K. Banerjee
Personal information
Full name Pradip Kumar Banerjee
Date of birth (1936-06-23)23 June 1936[1][2][3]
Place of birth Jalpaiguri, Bengal Presidency, British India
Date of death 20 March 2020(2020-03-20) (aged 83)
Place of death Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Height 5ft 8​1⁄2 in
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
1951 Bihar
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1954 Aryan 22 (10)
1955–1967 Eastern Railway 224 (91)
National team
1955–1966 India 45 (15)
Teams managed
1972–1976 East Bengal
Mohun Bagan
1972–1981 India[4]
1985 India
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Banerjee died on 20 March 2020 at 12:40 p.m. after suffering from age-related issues, having been on life support at a Kolkata hospital since 2 March. He also had an underlying history of Parkinson's disease, dementia and heart problems.

Early life

Pradip Kumar Banerjee was born on 23 June 1936, in Jalpaiguri in Bengal Presidency (now West Bengal). He studied in Jalpaiguri Zilla School and completed his schooling from K.M.P.M. School in Jamshedpur.[11]

Career
Indian team at the 1960 Olympics, Coach Syed Rahim at the front row centre and captain P.K Banerjee on his right side.

At the age of 15, Banerjee represented Bihar in Santosh Trophy, playing in the right wing. In 1954 he moved on to Kolkata and joined Aryan. Later he moved on to represent Eastern Railway. He made his debut for the national team in the 1955 Quadrangular tournament in Dacca (presently Dhaka), East Pakistan (now capital of Bangladesh) at the age of 19.[12]

He represented India in three Asian Games namely, the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo, the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta, where India clinched the gold medal in football and then the 1966 Asian Games in Bangkok. He was part of the national team that played at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne where they reached the Semi Finals.[13][14] He captained India at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, where he scored an equalizer against France in a 1–1 draw.[15] He represented India thrice at the Merdeka Cup in Kuala Lumpur, where India won a silver medal in 1959 and 1964 and a bronze medal in 1965.[16] Recurring injuries forced him to drop out of the national team and subsequently to his retirement in 1967.[17]

International statistics

FIFA "A" matches only[7]

India national team
YearAppsGoals
195535
195642
195850
195951
196031
196131
196254
196481
196560
196630
Total4515

International goals

FIFA A international matches are listed.[7]

DateVenueOpponentResultCompetitionGoals
18 December 1955Dacca, East Pakistan Ceylon4–31955 Colombo Cup2
22 December 1955 Burma5–22
26 December 1955 Pakistan2–11
12 December 1956Sydney Sports Ground, Sydney Australia7–1International Friendly2
8 September 1959City Stadium, Penang South Korea1–1International Friendly1
29 August 1960Stadio Olimpico Comunale, Grosseto, Italy France1–11960 Olympics1
9 August 1961Kuala Lumpur, Malaya Malaya2–11961 Merdeka Tournament1
28 August 1962Senayan Stadium, Jakarta Thailand4–11962 Asian Games2
29 August 1962 Japan2–01
4 September 1962 South Korea2–11
1 September 1964Kuala Lumpur, Malaya South Korea2–11964 Merdeka Tournament1

Managerial career

P. K. Banerjee's first managerial stint came with East Bengal, joining the club as manager in 1972. Throughout Banerjee’s managerial career, he would frequently return to manage East Bengal.[18] In 1976, Banerjee joined Mohun Bagan, guiding the club to a historic feat, winning the IFA Shield, Rovers Cup and Durand Cup respectively to achieve their first-ever triple-crown triumph in one season. He became the national coach in 1972, starting with the qualifying matches of the 1972 Munich Olympics. He went on to coach the Indian Football Team till 1986.[4] He joined the Tata Football Academy at Jamshedpur and served as its Technical Director from 1991 to 1997.[19] He was awarded the player of the Millennium in 2005 by FIFA. He had also won the International Fair Play Award from the Olympic Committee, a feat that is yet to be repeated by any Indian footballer. In 1999, Banerjee again took up the post of the technical director of the Indian Football team.[20]

Death

P.K.Banerjee died on 20 March 2020 in a hospital in Kolkata. He was suffering from chest infection for a few weeks. He is survived by his wife and two daughters Paula and Purna.[21]

Honours

India

Individual

See also

References
  1. "Indian football legend PK Banerjee dies aged 83". India Today. 20 March 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  2. "P. K. Banerjee Profile - Indian Football Player Pradip Kumar Banerjee Biography - Information on PK Banerjee Indian Footballer". www.iloveindia.com.
  3. "P.K. BANERJEE". www.indianfootball.de.
  4. Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports Website Archived 24 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 12 November 2006
  5. "A footballing Goliath in India, PK Banerjee passes away at 83". The Indian Express. 20 March 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  6. "PK Banerjee: The Footballer & Coach Par Excellence". The Quint. 21 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  7. Subrata Dey, Roberto Murmud. "Pradip Kumar Banerjee - Goals in International Matches". rsssf.com. RSSSF. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  8. "PK Banerjee gets FIFA centennial order of merit". Outlook India Magazine.
  9. "Legends of Indian football: P.K. Banerjee". www.sportskeeda.com. 8 February 2013.
  10. "Celebrating P.K.Banerjee's Birthday: 15 facts you must know about the legend | Goal.com". www.goal.com.
  11. "Legendary Indian footballer Pradip Kumar Banerjee aka PK critical, undergoing treatment in Kolkata hospital". Zee News. 12 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  12. Rahim, Amal Dutta, P.K. and Nayeem: The Coaches Who Shaped Indian Football Archived 3 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 12 November 2006.
  13. Boria Majumdar (21 March 2020). "PK Banerjee: Indian football loses its truest devotee". The Economic Times. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  14. "Indian football legend PK Banerjee passes away at the age of 83". Indian Super League. 20 March 2020. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  15. "PK Banerjee, legend of Indian football, dies at 83". ESPN. 20 March 2020. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  16. Amitabha Das Sharma (20 March 2020). "P.K. Banerjee, the colossus of Indian football". The Hindu. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  17. "One of Indian football's greatest, PK Banerjee dies at 83". The New Indian Express. 20 March 2020. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  18. "Obit: The incomparable P. K. of Indian football". The Hindu. 20 March 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  19. Tata Football Academy Website. Retrieved 12 November 2006.
  20. The Statesman. (29 July 1999). PK in the Dark about TD for Mauritius Trip.
  21. "Indian football legend PK Banerjee dies aged 83". India Today. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
  22. "Giving wing to dreams". Angshuman Roy. The Telegraph (Kolkata). Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  23. "The incomparable P. K. of Indian football". Amitabha Das Sharma. SportsStar. 20 March 2020. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  24. "Bharat Nirman Awards". Bharat Nirman Awards. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  25. "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  26. "Ajay Devgn mourns the demise of football legend PK Banerjee". Outlook. 20 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  27. The Hindu Article dated 23 June 2004. Retrieved 12 November 2006.
  28. "Olympian P. K. Banerjee passes away". Y. B. SARANGI. SportsStar. 20 March 2020. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
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