football great Mohd. Habib no more

Mohd. habib

HYDERABAD

Mohd. Habib, the football playmaker par excellence is no more. He was 74 and suffering from dementia and Parkinson’s syndrome for the last couple of years. He is survived by wife and three daughters.

Habib represented India in many international tournaments between 1965 and 1976. He was considered by many experts as one of the best players the country has ever produced and was also a bronze medallist in the 1970 Asian Games in Bangkok, led by fellow Hyderabadi Syed Nayeemuddin and managed by the great P.K. Banerjee.

One of the high-points of Habib’s career was when he turned out for Mohun Bagan against the visiting Cosmos Club, which featured the legendary Pele in a ‘friendly’ in 1977.

“It will remain one of my greatest moments and it was appreciated by Pele himself at the end of the match. He hugged me and wished me luck,” the Arjuna awardee told The Hindu’in one of his interviews .

During many conversations over the years, Habib always said he wore the Mohammedan Sporting jersey, the club he joined in 1971, with great pride.

For 17 seasons from 1966-67, Habib, despite his diminutive nature, was a stalwart on the football grounds of Kolkata, according to former India captain Victor Amalraj.