| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gostha Behari Pal | ||
| Date of birth | 20 August 1896 | ||
| Place of birth | Faridpore, Bengal Presidency, India | ||
| Date of death | 8 April 1976 (aged 79) | ||
| Place of death | Kolkata, West Bengal, India | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1907-1912 | Kumartuli A.C., Kolkata | ? | (?) |
| 1912-1936 | Mohun Bagan | ? | (?) |
| National team | |||
| ? – ? | India | ? | (?) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
|||
Gostha Behari Pal (August 20, 1896- April 8, 1976) (Bangla: গোষ্ঠ পাল) was an Indian professional football player. He was born in Bhojeswar, Faridpore, Bengal Presidency (currently located in Bangladesh). He moved to Kolkata when he was an infant and lived there till his very last days.
He started playing for Kumartuli A.C. aged 11, and joined Mohun Bagan at the age of 16. In 1921, Gostho Pal was honored with the captaincy of the Mohun Bagan football team, and he remained as the club captain for next 5 years. In 1924, he was also appointed as the captain of the Indian national football team. He retired in 1935.
He was the first Indian footballer to be honoured with the Padma Shri, on April 27, 1962. (The second was Sailen Manna in 1970).[1]
A statue was erected In his memory in 1984 on the Gostho Pal Sarani in Kolkata. Mohun Bagan awarded him the Mohun Bagan Ratna posthumously, which is given to former greats of that club, in 2004. An archive was launched in his honour and named the Gostho Pal Archive, inside the Mohun Bagan club premises.