Peter Thangaraj

Peter Thangaraj (1936 – 24 November 2008) was an Indian football player. Thangaraj played for the Indian national side at the 1956 Melbourne and 1960 Rome Olympics. He was Voted Asia’s best goalkeeper in 1958. Thangaraj was a recipient of Arjuna Award for the year 1967.

Football career

Thangraj was born in 1936 in Hyderabad State. He started his football career with Morning Star Club and Friends Union Club of Secunderabad. He joined the Indian Army in 1953 and began representing the Madras Regimental Centre where he played as a centre forward, but took to goalkeeping subsequently with great success. Madras Regimental Centre won the Durand Cup in 1955 and 1958. Thangaraj captained the Services team for its first-ever triumph in the Santosh Trophy in 1960.

After leaving Services, Thangaraj played for Kolkata giants Mohammedan Sporting (1960–63, 1971–72), Mohun Bagan (1963–65), and East Bengal (1965–71) and was a huge fan favorite at the time. He was part of the Bengal team, which won the Santosh Trophy in 1963. Later, he led the Railways in 1965 and won the Santosh Trophy for them. Along with the likes of Chuni Goswami and P. K. Banerjee, Thangaraj was one of the mainstays of the Indian team in 1960s and 70s.