1950s: Gaining International Identity

It was in 1953 when the club was invited for a European football tour, a distinction no other Indian club had achieved till then. The occasion was a tournament organized in Romania as part of the World Youth Congress. The club would go on to become India’s best-performing club on foreign soil. In 1948, the club defeated the China Olympic team 2-0. In 1951, the FA yearbook chose East Bengal as the best club in India. Throughout the 1950s, East Bengal as a club was highly regarded in European football circles. Such was the team’s dominance that the 18-member squad for the 1952 Olympics had 6 members from East Bengal.

The club players had a major role to play in India’s best ever football performance in the Olympics in 1948, when India made it to the quarter finals.

After the Panchapandavas faded into the twilight in the mid 1950s, the 1960s saw the emergence of forwards like Balaram and Habib and goalkeepers like Peter Thangaraj, complemented by a brilliant midfield lineup. The 1960s did not see the club achieve the dizzying heights of the earlier decade; nonetheless, their performances were still highly commendable. 1961 saw the club achieving the Calcutta League-IFA Shield double for the fourth time, a feat repeated again in 1965.

Compiled by: Ranadurjay Talukdar