Last month, when national coach Bob Houghton was speaking at length in every media conference about the need for taller and physically stronger players in the Indian team, one could not stop thinking about Sudip Chatterjee. Had the great central midfielder been playing these days, he would have surely become the British coach’s blue eyed boy for the next three years of his tenure.
For those who follow Indian football keenly, it would be a matter of shock to know that the tall and well-built stopper turned midfielder has died an untimely death at the age of 47. Sudip, in fact, had everything that an Indian footballer craves for throughout his career but rarely manages to achieve. He had height, strength, ball control, ability to distribute, good tackle, powerful shots and perfect heading ability.
To add to all these qualities, Sudip also had good speed that made him one of India’s finest footballers ever. No wonder, once Subhas Bhowmick went to the extent of saying that Sudip is the only one from the 80s who would simply walk into an all-time great Indian XI.
Having started his career with a blot when his faulty header cost India the quarter final match against Saudi Arabia in the 1982 Asian Games, Sudip went on to become a towering personality of Indian football for the next 10 years and later received the Player of the Decade award from the federation. Soon he became the key player and the captain of the national team that even led to trouble in the 1986 Asian Games.
The choice of the then national coach P. K. Banerjee to hand over the captaincy to Sudip in the 1986 Asiad came as a surprise to many as they thought he was too young to bag the honour. It even led to a couple of senior players reportedly refusing to give their best — which was one of the reason’s behind India’s downfall at Seoul. But given Sudip’s form in those days, PK’s decision was absolutely right.
In club football, Sudip was a phenomenon as he guided the two Calcutta giants to many a memorable title. But the often moody and introvert midfielder always used to be a revelation in international football.
It will never be easy to forget his contribution in the 1984 Asian Cup when India entered the final round for the last time, or his eye catching display for East Bengal in the 1985 Asian Club Championships both in the preliminary stages and the final rounds.
After 1986, Sudip lead India for a long time, in all major tournaments, including Asian Cup, Nehru Cup and pre-World Cup. Alongside, he excelled at the club level too, 1990 being his best year, when he helped East Bengal win the triple crown. East Bengal then had a dream midfield with Sudip leading the show along with crafty Krishanu Dey.
No one then knew that both will leave this world so early.
Fact-file
FOR INDIA
Asian Games — 1982 and 1986 (captain).
Asia Cup — 1984 (captain), 1988 (captain) and 1992. — Reached the final round in 1984.
Nehru Gold Cup — 1982, 1983, 1985 (captain), 1988 (captain), 1989.
Merdeka Cup — 1981, 1986 (captain) — Reached the semi-final in 1986.
Pre-Olympic — 1984.
Pre-World Cup — 1985 (captain).
SAFF Games — 1985 (captain), 1989 — India won gold in 1985.
Total international matches — 60
1982 — Joined Mohun Bagan from BNR.
1982-83, 1988-89, 1991-92 — Played for Mohun Bagan.
1984-85, 1986-87, 1990 — Played for East Bengal.
Compiled by Hari Prasad Chattopadhyay
