Shyam Thapa is an idol for many footballers in India. But if Thapa looked up to someone, he was Subimal 'Chuni' Goswami.
"I have watched him play once in the Mohun Bagan ground. That was during the twilight of his career. But still, his dribbling with the ball amazed me. I tried to emulate him. I tried to body feint like him. Noone could match his stardom. People used to go crazy to get a glimpse of him," said the former Bagan striker to Goal.
Thapa recalled how Goswami came up to him after a match in the Eden Gardens and congratulated for scoring a goal after dribbling past a couple of defenders.
"When I joined Mohun Bagan he came to see me. I still remember that once I dribbled past a couple of defenders in a match and scored a goal. Chuni da was present in the stadium. After the match, he came up to me and said, you dribble just like me. That was one of the greatest recognitions I have ever got in my life. Sometimes I have even played tennis with him," reminisced the 72-year old.
Goswami's greatest achievement was to lead India to the 1962 Asian Games gold medal. In the semifinal, he scored twice in a 3-2 win over South Vietnam, and in the final against South Korea, he assisted the late PK Banerjee for the first goal.
"I stay very close to Chuni Da's house. But due to the lockdown, I cannot even go and pay him the last visit. It is really unfortunate," signed off the former India international.
