P K Banerjee, great Indian Footballer, passes away

Former Indian captain and great footballer Pradeep Kumar Banerjee passes away in Kolkata at the age of 83.

Great Indian footballer Pradip Kumar Banerjee, known as P K Dada, passed away at the age of 83 in Kolkata hospital. P K is survived by two daughters Paula and Purna. He was elder brother of another former player and now a member parliament of Trinamool Congress, Prasun Banerjee.

He was one of the best strikers that Indian football has seen and captained Indian team during the golden era of Indian football. He was suffering from respiratory problems due to pneumonia and was on life support system since March 12. According to family members he passed away at 12.40 pm today on 20^th March 2020.

I will always remember late Shri PK Banerjee da with whom I worked closely for two years during my stint with AIFF.

A great human being, I have a very fond memory of him and I still remember his call from Pakistan during a friendly series in 2005 where he had some issues. 1/2

— Shaji Prabhakaran (@Shaji4Football) March 20, 2020

P K Banerjee in his 84 appearances scored 65 international goals for the Indian team. Born on 23 June in 1936 on the outskirts of Jalpaiguri in West Bengal. India team won the gold medal at the Jakarta Asian games in 1992. Banerjee led Indian side in the 1960 Rome Olympics and scored equaliser against strong French team in a 1-1 draw.

A Moynaguri born PK da becoming #IndianFootball legend. A versatile personality, media savvy, single handedly kept Indian football alive during 80s and 90s with his active all round work, which no one should forget. He will always stay in my memory. May his soul rest in peace.

— Shaji Prabhakaran (@Shaji4Football) March 20, 2020

P K also represented India in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and played a key role in their 4-2 win over Australia in the quarterfinals. Banerjee’s contribution to Indian football was duly recognised by the world governing body FIFA that awarded him the Centennial Order of Merit in 2004. With his death India has lost one of the great Indian footballer of his time.