Indian Football Legend Surajit Sengupta Passed Away Due To Covid-19

Surajit Sengupta was the former captain of East Bengal

It’s a sad day for the Indian football fans as Indian football legend Surajit Sengupta passed away at the age of 71 after his long battle against the coronavirus.

Surajit Sengupta dominated the Indian football clubs in the 1970’s with his unique style of playing the game.

On January 22, Sengupta had to be taken to hospital after being infected with the coronavirus. His condition, however, kept deteriorating and he had been on life support since Monday. He breathed his last around 2pm.

“His condition was stable but since Friday he started developing breathing complications and his oxygen level started dropping. He was put on life support since Monday,” said the hospital sources.

Sen Gupta represented India in the Asian games in 1974 and 1978, the Mardeka Cup in 1977 and in international friendlies against UAE AND Bahrain in 1979.

Surajit Sengupta, the man who could "let the ball talk", dominated Indian football in the 1970s with his unique style of wing-play, mixing the art of dribbling with speed and creating a spectacle.

"To be a successful winger, you need to have a magajastra (weapon of the brain). You need to understand your time and space, which is just one side of the field, and at the same time, you must be aware of what others are doing elsewhere. Because, as a winger, you must keep the heart of your team beating," he often said, taking pride in his role as an attacking midfielder in a wide position.

Sengupta's heart stopped beating at a city hospital on Thursday, succumbing to Covid-19 and other related complications. The 71-year-old's death came about a month after the passing of his teammate and another Indian football star of the 1970s, Subhas Bhowmick.

A day after Bhowmick's death on January 22, Sengupta had to be taken to a hospital after being infected with the virus. However, his condition kept deteriorating and he had been on life support since Monday.

He breathed his last around 2 in the afternoon at the hospital. He is survived by his wife and son.

"Surajit was a true artist who could let the ball talk. We have lost two gems of Indian football and my former teammates in a span of one month. I really don't know how to describe this," former India star Gautam Sarkar said.