India had been an amateur football-playing nation till recently, though in practice the leading footballers in India were always accepting payments clandestinely for a long time, especially in Kolkata. But on paper, these players remained “amateur” and were mostly employed with different government departments, banks, Public Sector Undertakings and private companies. It was like leading a double life, but no one bothered much about it as it was accepted as a normal practice in Indian football. 

The first person to break this trend was Mohammed Habib, who switched over from Hyderabad to Kolkata in the 1966 season and played there till 1982. For 16 seasons, Habib, a forward, was the leading footballer of Kolkata and was in great demand from all the three leading clubs – Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting. He never allowed himself to be sold cheaply and the clubs always had to shell out a good amount to get his services.

But then, Mohammed Habib, the captain of India in the 1972 pre-Olympics, had a unique quality that no other footballer during his time could dare to follow. Habib had never accepted any job though being the top player in the country, he had plenty of offers. He prided himself as a professional footballer and said his job was to fully concentrate on his game. Though like any other footballer, he had his plus and minus points on the field, he became a living legend of Indian football because of his commitment to the game.

For the National team, Mohammed Habib’s best moment came at the 1970 Asian Games when India won the bronze medal. In the first match against Thailand the hosts, India were trailing 0-2 by the half-hour mark and everyone in the Indian camp lost hope. But not Habib. His contemporaries say that he inspired his teammates in a manner that helped India make a remarkable comeback to finish the match with a 2-2 draw. Once India regained their confidence there was no stopping as they went on to win third place after a creditable victory against strong Japan in the bronze medal match.