Former East Bengal captain & legend passes away at the age of 70

Surajit Sengupta, a former India midfielder and East Bengal legend who mesmerised Kolkata Maidan with his dribbling skills in the 1970s, died on Thursday at a city hospital after a prolonged battle with COVID-19. He was 71 years old at the time. Sengupta was admitted to the hospital on January 23 after testing positive for COVID-19. He has been on a ventilator since Monday. In the afternoon, he breathed his last breath

“His condition was stable until Friday, when he began to experience breathing difficulties and his oxygen level began to decline. Since Monday, he has been on life support "according to hospital sources.

“It’s sad to hear that Surajit-da, one of the most skilful wingers in the history of Indian football is no more. His invaluable contribution to Indian football will always remain with us, and never be forgotten. Indian Football has only got poorer,” All India Football Federation President Praful Patel said.

“Lost veteran star footballer Surajit Sengupta today. Heart throb of football fans and an outstanding national sportsman as well as a perfect gentleman, he will ever be in our hearts. Deepest condolences,” West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said in a tweet. 

Lost veteran star footballer Surajit Sengupta today. Heartthrob of football fans and an outstanding national sportsman as well as a perfect gentleman, he will ever be in our hearts.
Deepest condolences.

Lost veteran star footballer Surajit Sengupta today. Heartthrob of football fans and an outstanding national sportsman as well as a perfect gentleman, he will ever be in our hearts.
Deepest condolences.

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) February 17, 2022

East Bengal Legend Surajit Sengupta

Surajit, also known as Bishu, was born on August 30, 1951, in the Hooghly district’s Chakbazar. When young Sengupta was attending Hooghly Branch School, Ashwini Barat, also known as Bholada, spotted him.

Suhas, his father, was a football and cricket player who worked for Dunlop India. During the initial years, Sengupta was trained by Bholada.

Sengupta made his name while attending Hooghly Mohsin College and making his debut with Robert Hudson, a second-tier club.

He began his football career at Kidderpore Club, which was at the time a magnet for bright young players. Prasun Banerjee, Shyamal Ghosh, Gautam Sarkar, and Ranjit Mukherjee were all members of the club.

Sengupta then went on to play for the Kolkata Maidan’s Big Three clubs, beginning with Mohun Bagan, where he was coached by the renowned Sailen Manna. From 1972 to 1974, he played for Mohun Bagan for two seasons before joining the red-and-gold for six years and becoming their captain in 1978.

He scored 92 goals for East Bengal and helped the iconic club win the Calcutta League in 1974, 1975, 1977, DCM Trophy in 1974, IFA shield in 1974, 1975, 1976 (joint-winners), Darjeeling Gold Cup in 1976 (joint winners), Federation Cup in 1978 (joint-winners), Rovers Cup in 1975, Durand Cup and Bordoloi Trophy in 1978.

He scored 54 goals for the Mariners, helping them win the Rovers Cup in 1972 and 1981, the Federation Cup in 1981 and 1982, the Sait Nagjee Trophy in 1981, the Durand Cup in 1982 (joint-winners), the Darjeeling Gold Cup in 1982 (joint-winners), and the Calcutta League in 1983.

He joined Mohammedan Sporting in 1980 and played for them for one season before returning to Mohun Bagan at the end of his career to play for three more years.

Sengupta also scored 26 goals for the Bengal Santosh Trophy winning teams in 1975, 1976, 1977, and 1978.

Sengupta astonished Kolkata Maidan spectators with his amazing dribbling abilities in the 1970s, and he was a perfectionist when it came to scoring goals from an extreme angle.

The talented right winger made his International debut against Thailand in the Merdeka Cup in Kuala Lumpur on July 24, 1974, and went on to play 14 times for India.

In 1974 and 1978, he represented India in the Asian Games, the Merdeka Cup, the President’s Cup, and international friendlies against the UAE and Bahrain (1979). In the 1978 Asian Games, he scored his only international goal against Kuwait.

In 2018, East Bengal presented Sengupta with the Lifetime Achievement Award.