Barefoot defender Gopal Hazra of Narail, now 75, still remembers the 1969 title

Gopal Hazra, who lives in Baliadanga village of Mulia Union in Narail Sadar Upazila, is now 75 years old. Raised in poverty, he was a well-known footballer in southern Bengal during the then East Pakistan era.

Hazra played as a back, in defence. He was skilled at calmly stopping opposition attacks, and on the field his feet and head moved at lightning speed.

The 5-foot-6 footballer never wore boots, socks, anklets or safeguards. He preferred to play barefoot. But he made bandages by cutting the borders from saris and took the field with those bandages wrapped around his feet and ankles.

His father Bihari Lal Hazra and his mother Kanchan Bala both died long ago.

Recalling his footballing life, Gopal Hazra said: 'As a child I learned to play with cholom lemons. At midday I would steal cholom lemons from other people's trees. I got the chance to play with a leather ball while studying in class six at Narail Victoria Collegiate School.'

He said: 'From class six I kept playing inter-school football. In 1969, in the then East Pakistan era, when Narail Victoria School became champion in the inter-school football competition of Narail subdivision, part of greater Jessore district, and at the national level held in Dhaka, it created a sensation across the country.'

Speaking of that team's members, he said the goalkeeper was Abdus Sattar, the defence included himself, Nakul Sarkar, Abdul Hamid and Rakib, and the attack included Sachchu and Kaiser of Jessore and Raghuram and Munsur of Khulna, among others. Most of those players, he said, have since died.

Earlier, in 1968, Narail Model School, now the Government Boys' High School, took part in the inter-school football competition and became first subdivision champion, then greater Jessore district champion, and then champion of the then East Pakistan.

At that time the head teacher of Victoria Collegiate School was Md Moslem Uddin.