Pradip Kumar Banerjee Biography 
Pradip Kumar Banerjee is a former Indian footballer from West Bengal. He made 84 appearances for India, and scored a total of 65 goals in his international career. A legendary Indian footballer of the last century, he was named Indian Footballer of the 20th century by IFFHS. He was one of the early footballers to receive Arjuna Award in 1961. For his contributions towards sports, especially football, Government of India honoured him with the fourth highest civilian honour - Padma Shri in 1990. He has played for Bihar, Aryan F.C and Eastern Railway F.C during the 1950s and 1960s.
Pradip Kumar Banerjee was born on 23 June 1936 in Jalpaiguri, West Bengal. His schooling was completed in Jamshedpur. He joined the profession of football in the early 1950s, soon after independence. He joined football during his teens, and played for Bihar during his early phase. He was only 15 when he played for Bihar in Santosh Trophy in 1951. Later he moved to Kolkata and joined Aryan FC in 1954. He played for Eastern Railway for long 12 years since 1955. He played for national team during the period, 1952–1967. As a 19-year-old, he made his first appearance in a quadrangular tournament in Dhaka. Later he has also served as the team manager of Indian national team in the early 1970s and mid-1980s.
It is the golden days of the 50s and the 60s when Pradip Kumar was a star player from national side. He was fondly addressed as P. K in those days, when he was the brightest star and most valuable player. He made big headlines in newspapers through the matches he appeared. Though he had offers from East Bengal and Mohun Bagan to join their clubs, he was forced to opt for the safety of a government job, because he was the eldest of 7 siblings of his family, and the responsibility of his family was on his shoulders.
Published: February 03, 2019
Updated: February 03, 2019
