Former India football captain Mohammed Habib passes away at 74 in Hyderabad

Former India football captain Mohammed Habib, who brought laurels to the country with his playmaking skills passed away aged 74 on Tuesday, August 15 in Hyderabad.

The Indian legend was battling several diseases in the form of dementia and Parkinson's syndrome for the past few years and is survived by his wife and three daughters. Habib was born on July 17, 1949, in Hyderabad and went on to represent the Men in Blue in 35 contests during his playing career and scored 11 goals for the country. He made his international debut against Thailand while playing in Kuala Lumpur in the Merdeka Cup in 1967.

Habib was lauded for his skills on the field by none other than Pele after the star Indian footballer impressed the Brazillian legend in a game between Mohun Bagan and Cosmos Club at the Eden Gardens in 1977. Pele was playing for Cosmos in that game and praised Habib after the game came to a halt. 

The Hyderabad-born was at the heart of India's bronze medal-winning success that came during the Asian Games 1970 at Bangkok in Thailand. During his playing career, he also aided India in becoming the joint winners alongside South Vietnam of the Pesta Sukan Cup in 1971.

Reflecting on such a massive loss to Indian football, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Kalyan Chaubey expressed his condolences to the grieving family and reminisced about the greatness of Habib from his playing days.

"The 'Bade Miya' of Kolkata football was my coach and mentor in TFA and Mohun Bagan. His contribution to India's bronze medal-winning team in the 1970 Asian Games will be remembered forever. May his soul rest in peace," said Chaubey as reported by PTI.