June 23 is the birthday of the iconic footballer Pradip Kumar Banerjee, popularly known as P.K. Banerjee, which is now celebrated as the “AIFF Grassroot Day” as declared by the All India Football Federation.
Any football fan who follows the game wholeheartedly needs no introduction about the legend. The man who captained the Indian football team in the Rome Olympics in 1960 had a stellar career while he played for the team before he took up coaching.
Shaji Prabhakaran, the secretary general of AIFF, mentioned why they chose PK Banerjee’s birthday as the “AIFF Grassroot Day.” He said, “We often forget Pradip da was a teacher par excellence too. Once he hung up his boots, he took up coaching and for the next 30 years, produced an array of players, who excelled at the national and international levels.”
He also mentioned that “While his role as a national and a club coach is much discussed, the Indian football fraternity cannot forget PK da’s contribution at the grassroots level, his leadership at the Tata Football Academy, his ability to inspire and fine-tune the budding talents.”
PK Banerjee was an exemplary footballer who had a pivotal role in the gold medal finish in the Asian Games in 1962 and made history for India.
Life Before Popularity
It was on June 23, 1936, when the football maestro, P.K. Banerjee, was born in the picturesque town of Jalpaiguri in West Bengal. He loved the place and absorbed every bit of the essence from that place before he had a career in Football.
He did his schooling at Jalpaiguri Zila School, and after that, he transferred to the K.M.P.M. school in Jamshedpur, where he finished his schooling. It was during his growing years when the seeds of football were sown in him, when he started playing the sport at an early age and showcased his skills in Bihar with amazing flair.
Playing Career
He started his career in football at a tender age. He started playing at the age of 15, on the right wing, when he represented Bihar in Santosh Trophy. After that, he played for various clubs before he made his debut in the Indian national team.
National
As I mentioned in the above-mentioned section, he started his football career at the age of 15 when he played for the Santosh Trophy and displayed his talent on the right wing. After that, he represented Railways as well as Bengal in the same tournament.
In 1953, he started a new journey with the Jamshedpur Football Association and made his debut in the esteemed IFA Shield against the Hindustan Aircrafts Limited. However, in 1954, he came to Kolkata and associated himself with the esteemed Aryan Club.
He continued his journey while he became a stalwart for the Eastern Railway and was guided by both Sushil Bhattacharya and Bagha Some, who led the team to victory in the 1958 CFL, 1957 DCM Trophy, and 1967 Bordoloi Trophy.
International
He made his debut in the national team in the year 1955 in Dacca, East Pakistan, which is now Dhaka, Bangladesh for the Quadrangular tournament. He set a remarkable achievement at the age of just nineteen.
His dedication towards the Indian football fraternity was evident from the way he represented India in three different Asian Games: the 1958 Tokyo Asian Games, the 1962 Jakarta Asian Games, and the 1966 Bangkok Asian Games.
Moreover, he proudly represented India and won three times the Merdeka Cup in Kuala Lumpur. He secured a silver medal in 1959 and 1964 and a bronze medal in 1965.
Olympic
P.K. Banerjee formed an integral part of the Indian team that carved their name in golden letters in the history of Indian football as they became the first Asian team to reach the semi-finals of the Olympics.
Even though he was going through a hard time, personally, as his father was battling cancer in 1960, he chose to train the team for the Olympics. In homage to Banerjee’s extraordinary achievements, his home in Salt Lake in the eastern part of Kolkata proudly decorates the Olympic rings as an architectural tribute.
He was the only non-Mohun Bagan player who led the Indian football team in the Olympics. Banerjee was a man with stunning shot jumps, amazing headers, and thundering shots. He played in three Asian Games and two Olympics. There are only three footballers who can match those feats in India.
For a time, his autograph had the words, “ Captain of Indian Football Tam, Rome Olympics, 1960.” Banerjee showcased his brilliance when he scored an exhilarating 1-1 draw in a match against France.
There was an extraordinary partnership between P.K. Banerjee, Tulsidas Balaram, and Chuni Goswami, who has made a solid place in the football fraternity and is referred to as the “holy trinity” of Indian football.
However, because of some injuries, he unfortunately bid farewell to the national team and took retirement from the spot in 1967.
Coaching Career
Because of persistent injuries, he had to step away from the national team and announced his retirement in 1967. However, after this, he continued his journey as a manager and made a remarkable impact on the team.
In 1972, he took up the role of a manager for the East Bengal club, and later, in 1976, joined Mohun Bagan and guided the team towards victories in the Rovers Cup, Durand Cup, and IFA Shield, and achieved a triple-crown triumph in one single season.
Moreover, he guided the club during the historic match on 24 September 1977, where Mohun Bagan scored 2-2 against New York Cosmos, which was led by none other than the legend Pele.
His contributions made remarkable achievements, and because of his undeniable talent, he became the coach of the national team in 1972 and led the Indian football team until 1986. From 1991 to 1997, he was the technical director of Tata Football Academy. However, in 1999, he took the post of technical director with the Indian football team.
Wherever he went, trophies and recognition followed. Here, have a glance at how the teams played in all their glory when he was the coach.
| Serial number | Team he coached | Game | Wins |
| 1 | India | 1970 Asian Games | Bronze |
| 2 | India | 1971 Pesta Sukan Cup | Joint Champions |
| 3 | India | 1985 Saf Games | Champion |
| 4 | India | 1999 Saff Cup | Champion |
| 5 | East Bengal | Calcutta Football League | 7 |
| 6 | East Bengal | IFA Shield | 6 |
| 7 | East Bengal | Durand Cup | 2 |
| 8 | East Bengal | Rovers Cup | 3 |
| 9 | East Bengal | Federation Cup | 2 |
| 10 | Mohun Bagan | Calcutta Football League | 5 |
| 11 | Mohun Bagan | IFA Shield | 4 |
| 12 | Mohun Bagan | Durand Cup | 3 |
| 13 | Mohun Bagan | Rovers Cup | 2 |
| 14 | Mohun Bagan | Federation Cup | 1 |
Awards and Recognitions
Banerjee is one of those pioneering recipients of the prestigious Arjuna Award, which was set up in 1961 to honor outstanding athletes. In 1990, he was presented with the Padma Shri, and the International Federation of Football History and Statistics or the IFFHS honored him as the Indian Footballer of the 20th Century.
Also, in the year 2004, he was again recognized with the FIFA Order of Merit, which is the highest accolade given by FIFA. In 2005, he was acclaimed by FIFA again as the Player of the Millenium.
Most importantly, he is, to date, the only Indian footballer who received the International Fair Play Award from the committee of the Olympics.
The Demise of the Two-time Olympian
The two-time Olympian, P.K. Banerjee, one of the most beloved footballers of the nation, left the mortal realm on March 20, 2020, after suffering from a prolonged illness. At the age of 83, he was diagnosed with sepsis and multi-organ failure caused by pneumonia.
Along with that, he was suffering from dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and heart complications as well. During his last days, he was admitted to the hospital and was kept under life support.
Legacy of P.K. Banerjee
The demise of P.K. Banerjee is like the end of the “golden era” that was cherished in Indian football. He was multitalented, and that elevated his presence inside the Indian football fraternity, and he enriched the sport as a commentator, administrator, coach as well as a player.
