Bhutia, Chhetri mourn 'Chuni' Goswami's demise
May 01, 2020
New Delhi [India], May 1 : Former skipper Bhaichung Bhutia and current Blue Tigers captain Sunil Chhetri mourned the demise of the legendary footballer Subimal Goswami.
The former Indian skipper, who was popularly known as 'Chuni' Goswami, died on Thursday due to cardiac arrest at the age of 82 in Kolkata, West Bengal.
Taking to Twitter Bhutia wrote, "Rest in peace chuni da."
Chhetri reflected on Goswami's versatility as he played two sports --cricket and football.
"We've lost one of the leading lights of Indian sport today. Not too many can boast of being top-notch in two different sports. You played your part to the fullest, rest well, Chuni sir. Strength to the family," Chhetri tweeted.
Goswami's biggest achievement was captaining India to the 1962 Asian Games Gold medal when India secured a historic 2-1 victory against South Korea (Korea Republic) in the final to land India its second gold medal in Asian Games history.
After making his debut in 1958, Goswami represented India in 36 official International matches, captaining in 16 of them, and netting 13 goals. Goswami won the Arjuna Award in 1963 and was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri Award in 1983.
At the domestic level, Goswami was part of the Bengal's triumphant Santosh Trophy squad thrice - in 1955, 1958, and in 1959. Whereas, at the club level, he represented Mohun Bagan for 15 consecutive years - from 1954 to 1968.
Over the years, he helped Bagan win the Calcutta Football League nine times, the IFA Shield and the Durand Cup five times each, the Rovers Cup thrice, the Dr HK Mookerjee Shield five times, Babu Kuer Singh Shield thrice, and the Ananda Bazar Centenary Trophy once. He won 14 trophies for Mohun Bagan as captain.
Goswami not only did well in the sport of football but also in cricket. He represented Bengal in the Ranji Trophy and even captained Bengal in the 1968-69 season. During his first-class career as a cricketer, he played 46 matches amassing 1,592 runs, including a century.
In 2005, he was awarded the Mohun Bagan Ratna and was bestowed the Banga Bibhusan in 2013. The Indian postal department also honoured Goswami with a commemorative stamp on his 82nd birthday earlier this year.
