Gostha Behari Pal (20 August 1896 – 8 April 1976) was an Indian footballer who played primarily as a defender. Nicknamed "the Chinese wall", Pal was the captain of the India national team, who played during the 1920s and 30s.
Spending most of his career in Mohun Bagan, Pal was a defender and a well-known player, along with Balaidas Chaterjee, who played for the century-old club.
Personal life
Born on 20 August 1896 in Bhojeswar, Faridpore, Bengal Presidency (now in Bangladesh), Pal was son of Baboo Shyamlal Pal, a businessman. He moved to Calcutta when he was an infant and lived there till his final days. Pal was a student of Sarada Charan Aryan Institution in Beniatola.
Nicknamed as "Chiner Pracheer" (The Great Wall of China), Pal was one of the best defenders of contemporary Indian football. He started playing for Kumartuli Athletic Club at the age of 11, and was spotted there by Kalicharan Mitra, also known as Kali Mittir, one of only two Indian members in the governing body of the Indian Football Association (IFA) at the time. Mittir was influential and well-connected in the Indian football scene, and the first to identify Pal's unique defence techniques. He was signed by Mohun Bagan at the age of 16, as a replacement for Reverend Sudhir Chatterjee. They played their first match of the first division on 15 May 1915 against Calcutta Cricket and Football Club, which was drawn. In 1916, he appeared in Asanullah Cup in Decca, in which they went down to Sovabazar Club in final.