Indian football icon Mohammed Habib passes away

Indian football legend Mohammed Habib breathed his last on August 15, aged 74 at his Hyderabad home.

The former India captain represented the country in 35 international matches and scored 11 goals, but it is his exploits for Mohun Bagan and East Bengal that became a part of Indian football's folklore.

If he gave East Bengal three Durand Cups and multiple Rovers Cup through the 1980s, Bagan won triple crown in 1977, when he switched allegiance, and also earned Pele's praise for his goal against New York Cosmos at the Eden Gardens, which resembled a pool of mud.

One of the highlights of Habib's career was when he played for Mohun Bagan against the visiting Cosmos Club which also featured the legendary Pele in 1977 in a friendly on a rain-soaked Eden Gardens.

Up against a visiting team that had a star-studded line up with big names like Pele, Carlos Alberto, Georgio Chinaglia and others in its ranks, Mohun Bagan held their own in a creditable 2-2 draw with midfield mainstay Habib being one of the scorers.

In one of his biggest acknowledgments, Habib was singed out by Pele after the match with the one of the world's greatest player praising his game.