For two former India football captains, Shabbir Ali and Victor Amalraj, when they watched the Santosh match in the city on December 14 as AIFF observers Cup football tournament, it should be a trip down memory lane.
Two of the finest footballers in the city that produced many Olympians during the golden era of Indian football have every reason to look back on their Nations Cup triumph as “the pinnacle of domestic football in India”. football”.
“Despite playing for Bengal’s top clubs at the time – East Bengal, Mohammadspor and Mohun Bagan – to be honest, playing in the Santosh Trophy was a different feeling and a special honour,” Amarraj is working with sports star.
“I had the privilege of representing Andhra Pradesh in 1977 and West Bengal in 1979, 1980, 1982 and 1984, and the standard in those days was so high and the crowds cheered loudly for the big boys,” he said.
read | After nearly six decades, Hyderabad gears up for Santosh Trophy
Talking about his cherished memories, Amalraj said, “1979 was a landmark moment for me when West Bengal emerged victorious and I had the honor of sharing the occasion with the legendary Shabir Ali under the inspirational captain Pula led by Prasun Banerjee.
“Given the competition and achievement itself we have experienced, wearing NSU’s colors is never easy and is a testament to relentless hard work, passion and determination. The Santosh Cup is always special to me Special because it gave me a lot of memorable moments and I scored a lot of crucial goals,” said the former India midfielder.
For Shabir Ali, it was no different as he considered the Santosh Trophy to be the most important tournament of the time and one he was eagerly awaiting.
“In those days, playing for the country and making an impact was the first step to getting a job or getting into a prestigious Kolkata club,” said Shabir, who represented Maharashtra twice (runner-up once) and West Bengal (1979 champion) and also coached in three states.
Interestingly, Shabir, who coached Bengal to victory in 2010 and 2011, was also the head coach of Telangana from 2017-24.
“Telangana had a good chance of qualifying for the finals twice in Neyveli in 2018/19 and is a good team. Hopefully this time at home, the state team can make amends,” he said. . “Winning the Santosh Trophy in 1979 for Bangladesh was the most memorable moment for me and Amal was also in that team. Some of my contemporaries were great players like Surjit, Bhaskar Ganguly, Prashun Banerjee, these are the names that are remembered in Indian football.”
