---
title: "Who was the first recipient of padma shri among indian footballer ?"  
description: "Who was the first recipient of padma shri among indian footballer ?"  
author: "Richardson hayes"  
published: 2018-07-22  
canonical: https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/47397/who-was-the-first-recipient-of-padma-shri-among-indian-footballer  
category: "sports"  
tags: ["sports"]  
reading_time: 2 minutes  

---

# Who was the first recipient of padma shri among indian footballer ?

Who was the first recipient of padma shri among [indian](https://www.mindstick.com/news/2471/wazirx-received-828-requests-from-indian-international-law-enforcement-agencies) footballer ?\
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## Answers

### Answer by Harshal Vispute

**Goshto Pal (1962)** - Known as the **'Great Wall of China'** during his playing days, **Pal was the first Indian footballer to be awarded the Padma Shri**. **Pal is a Mohun Bagan legend** and is widely regarded as our **country's greatest defender**. **Pal, who also played cricket for Bagan**, coordinated one of the **first Satyagrahas on the sports field** when the **Calcutta Cricket Club refused to let him play a match in his traditional garb**.

![Who was the first recipient of padma shri among indian footballer ?](https://answers.mindstick.com/questionanswer/30fa9e1a-7038-40a4-82e4-8f44858a6220/images/10988af0-45c0-4370-bb4c-d0afdacd4471.jpeg)

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**Gostho Behari Pal** was an **Indian professional footballer** who played from **August 20, 1896**, until **April 8, 1976**. During the **1920s and 1930s**, he was the **first captain of the Indian national team**.

Pal was born in the **Bengal Presidency's Bhojeswar**, **Faridpore (currently located in Bangladesh)**. He migrated to **Kolkata** when he was a child and remained there until his death.

He was known as **'Chiner Pracheer'** and was one of the **top defenders** in Indian football at the time. At the age of **11**, he began playing for **Kumartuli A.C.**, and at the age of **16, he joined Mohun Bagan**. In **1921, Gostho Paul** was named **captain of the Mohun Bagan football team, a position he held for the next five years**. In the year **1924**, He was also named **captain of the Indian national football team**, which went on a tour of Sri Lanka. He **retired in 1935.**


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