Krishanu Dey (Bengali: কৃশানু দে; 14 February 1962 – 20 March 2003) was an Indian footballer from Kolkata, India.[3] He was an attacking midfielder and was known as the "Indian Maradona" among his fans due to his footballing skills and playing style.[4][5]
Krishanu began his professional career in the Calcutta Football League with Police A.C. in 1979,[13] and groomed under Achyut Banerjee.[14] He later shifted to Calcutta Port Trust in 1980. After spending a couple of seasons there, he joined Mohun Bagan in 1982.[15] He played for Mohun Bagan until 1984. In 1982, he scored a debut goal against Dempo Sports Club in the Strafford Cup. After a series of attempts from Ex-East Bengal recruiter Dipak (Poltu) Das, he joined their arch-rival East Bengal Club in 1985 along with Bikash Panji and became an East Bengal legend.[16] It was during his time in East Bengal, that made him known as the "Indian Maradona".[17]
He played for East Bengal continuously for a period of 7 years where he won many accolades including a treble (Durand Cup, Rovers Cup, IFA Shield) in 1990. He played for the club under coaching of Syed Nayeemuddin.[23] He returned to Mohun Bagan in 1992, and played alongside Nigerian striker Chima Okorie, one of the best foreigners of the club.[24][25][26] Krishanu again returned to East Bengal in 1994 for a season. He later joined his employer side – Food Corporation of India FC in 1995, which was also CFL outfit, having players like Narinder Thapa, Aloke Mukherjee.[27][28][29] He played for them until his retirement in 1997. He was one of the highest paid Indian footballers of the eighties and along with his close friend and fellow midfielder Bikash Panji with whom he formed a lethal combination on the field.[30] His club transfer stories throughout the eighties and early nineties are very intriguing where the club dropped down to the level of crime to acquire his signature.[31]
International career
Krishanu made his senior international debut for India on 22 June 1984 in the Great Wall Cup against China. Krishanu represented India in 30 list 'A' matches and scored 9 goals,[2] including a hat-trick at the Merdeka Tournament against Thailand in Malaysia, 1986.[4] He was the fifth Indian and second Bengali after Subhas Bhoumik to score an international hat-trick for India. He took part in Asian Games (1986), Merdeka Cup, Pre-Olympics, SAFF Games and Asian Cup as a member of the Indian team. He was the captain of the Indian team in 1992 Asian Cup qualifiers.[32]
He lived in Naktala, a south Kolkata neighbourhood. In his childhood, Krishanu used to play cricket and hated playing football as it is a more physical game. After realising his talent in football he started taking the sport more seriously. He married a girl from Naktala on 8 February 1988 and on 25 December 1990, he and his wife had a son.[33] He died on 20 March 2003,[34][35] following a pulmonary disorder and multi-organ failure in a city hospital.[33] He is survived by his wife Sharmila 'Poni' Dey and a son Soham Dey, who is sports journalist in a leading newspaper in Kolkata.[31] He has a Statue in his honor near Patuli Area in Kolkata. The Indian Football Association has named their under-19 football league in his memory.[36]
At the 123rd edition of the prestigious IFA Shield, top scorer of the tournament award was renamed as 'Krishanu Dey Memorial Award' in honour of Dey.[40][41][42][43]
^ abRoy, Gautam; Ball, Swapan (2007). "East Bengal Football Club – Famous Players". www.eastbengalfootballclub.com. Archived from the original on 1 September 2009. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
^Bhowmick, Mithun (15 December 2018). "ভারতীয় ফুটবলের অসুখসমূহ: পর্ব – ২" [Diseases of Indian football: Episode – 2]. bengali.indianexpress.com (in Bengali). Kolkata: IE Bangla Sports Desk. Indian Express News Service. Archived from the original on 15 November 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
^Dutta, Prasenjit (22 May 2022). "ময়দানের তৃতীয় নয়ন" [The Third Eye of Kolkata Maidan]. prohor.in (in Bengali). Kolkata: Prohor News. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
^Bhattacharya, Tanmoy (8 September 2019). "কৃশানু দে ফিরলেন, সঙ্গে নিয়ে এলেন ময়দানের দমকা হাওয়া" [Krishanu De returned, bringing with him the gusty winds of Maidan]. www.prohor.in (in Bengali). Prohor. Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
Ghosh, Amoy (23 November 2016). "All time Indian XI". sportskeeda.com. Sportskeeda. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
Tuhin, Saifur Rahaman (16 February 2023). "ঢাকার মাঠ মাতানো বিদেশি ফুটবলাররা" [Those iconic foreign players during the golden days in Dhaka football]. Durbin24.com (in Bengali). Dhaka. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
