Mohammed Salim

Early career

Salim did not find it difficult to join Chittaranjan of Bowbazar, Central Calcutta. Managed by a group of educated Bengali middle-class patrons, their aim was to play and win against European teams. Salim then had a short stint in the B team of Mohammedan. Pankaj Gupta, a Bengali sports administrator who was later the first head coach of the India national team, recruited Salim to play for his club Sporting Union. He went on to spend a season with East Bengal before moving to Aryan under the auspices of Choney Majumdar, a leading sportsman of Bengal.

Mohammedan

Salim rejoined Mohammedan in 1934 and was finally part of their first team setup. Salim was instrumental in helping the club to five league titles in a row:

With Salim in their ranks, the Club for the first time in its history won the Calcutta Football League. Winning soon became a habit. For the next four years Mohammedan went on to win the coveted title with Salim spearheading the attack. Exceptionally talented, Salim was winning thousands of hearts with his ball control, dribbling, correct passes and lobs. He knew at what height a pass should be given. His passing was one of the greatest attractions for Mohammedan supporters. This winning spree continued for five years and Salim was at the forefront in most of these years. With each triumph the number of his fans multiplied. The more people wanted to touch him and embrace him the more emotional he became. He celebrated his fifth…

Salim was a chemist and a pharmacist from Bengal, born in Metiaburuz, a lower-middle-class locality in Calcutta in 1904. Uninterested in formal academic training, he displayed great footballing skill from childhood. Mohun Bagan's IFA Shield triumph in 1911 also contributed to drawing the young Salim to football.

When Salim fell ill due to old age, his second son Rashid Ahmed wrote a letter to Celtic about his illness and stated that he needed money for his treatment:

I had no intention of asking for money. It was just a ploy to find out if Mohammed Salim was still alive in their memory. To my amazement, I received a letter from the club. Inside was a bank draft for £100. I was delighted, not because I received the money but because my father still holds a pride of place in Celtic. I have not even cashed the draft and will preserve it till I die. I just want my father's name to be put as the first Indian footballer to play abroad. That is the only thing that I want and nothing else. Following Salim's death in 1980, an obituary message in the Amrita Bazar Patrika announced:

Mohammed Salim (Sr) a member of the legendary Mohammedan Sporting Club side that claimed five successive Calcutta senior football league titles in the thirties died in Calcutta on Wednesday morning. He was 76. A right winger in his playing days, he was intimately connected with many sports clubs and took active interest in training youngsters. He is survived by his wife, four sons and three daughters.

Mohammedan Sporting Club

Calcutta Football League: 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938 IFA Shield: 1936 Individual

Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy State Award: 1976 Lifetime Achievement Award by the Mohammedan Sporting: 2023