Syed Nayeemuddin

Nayeemuddin began his club football career in 1962 with Hyderabad City Police (now known as "Andhra Pradesh Police"), which was then a renowned side in Indian club football. In an interview to Scroll.in, Balai Dey (one of the few footballers who represented both India and Pakistan in international football) said that he was most impressed by players like Chuni Goswami and Syed Nayeemuddin during his playing days with Kolkata clubs. In 1968, Nayeemuddin joined Mohun Bagan and played under "diamond coach" Amal Dutta, and won the 1969 IFA Shield with a 3–1 victory against East Bengal in the final. Nayeemuddin later joined Mohun Bagan and was part of the team that went to a newly independent Bangladesh in May 1972, where they defeated Dhaka Mohammedan in their first match, but lost to Shadhin Bangla football team later. He made his senior international debut for Syed Abdul Rahim managed India in 1964. In that year, he was part of the Indian team that finished as runners-up at the 1964 AFC Asian Cup, losing to Israel. He captained the India national team that won a bronze medal at the 1970 Asian Games in Bangkok, and was also a member of the team that won Pesta Sukan Cup in 1971 in Singapore. With India, he also appeared in the 1968 Merdeka Cup under coach Sailen Manna, and in the 1969 Merdeka Cup, managed by Jarnail Singh. Nayeemuddin represented Bengal in Santosh Trophy in 1970–71, in which they lost to Punjab in the semi-final. As one of the best Indian defenders during his…

After managing Mohammedan Sporting from 1982 to 1985, Nayeemuddin was appointed head coach of India U17 team and guided the team in 1985 AFC U-16 Championship qualifiers. They failed to qualify the main round but managed to win 13–0 against Macau, which is still the biggest win of India. In 1987, Nayeemuddin became assistant coach of Amal Dutta managed India, and guided the team clinching gold medal at the Calcutta South Asian Games. The next year, he became head coach and Dutta became technical director. In 1990, he was appointed as head coach of East Bengal. In his first season, he led the club to their second Triple-crown of Indian football (IFA Shield, Durand Cup, and Rovers Cup). He helped East Bengal winning six trophies in two seasons in his first stint with the club. He was again appointed as the head coach in 1994 when he again led the team to seven trophies in two seasons. He had one more stint as the head coach in 2000 and holds the record of winning eighteen trophies as the head coach of the club, only second to P. K. Banerjee. In East Bengal, he nurtured Indian talents including Babu Mani, Bikash Panji, Krishanu Dey, and transformed Bhaichung Bhutia from a midfielder to striker. From 1992 to 1994, he managed Mohun Bagan. The club defended their Rovers Cup title and won Federation Cup in 1992. Under his coaching, Mohun Bagan defeated Croatian First Football League club Varteks in 1994 DCM Trophy. At that time, his team participated in 1993–94 Asian Club…

Player

India

AFC Asian Cup runner-up: 1964 Asian Games Bronze Medal: 1970 Merdeka Tournament runner-up: 1964; third-place: 1966, 1970 Pesta Sukan Cup (Singapore): 1971 Hyderabad City Police

Durand Cup runner-up: 1963 Rovers Cup: 1962, 1963–64. DCM Trophy: 1965; runner-up 1964. East Bengal

IFA Shield: 1966, 1970 Rovers Cup: 1967 Calcutta Football League: 1966, 1970 Durand Cup: 1967, 1970 Mohun Bagan

IFA Shield: 1969 Rovers Cup: 1968, 1970 Calcutta Football League: 1969 Mohammedan Sporting

IFA Shield: 1971 Sait Nagjee Trophy: 1971 Independence Day Cup: 1971, 1972 Calcutta Football League runner-up: 1971 Bordoloi Trophy runner-up: 1971

Manager

India

SAFF Championship: 1997, 2005 Mahindra United

Indian Federation Cup: 2005 East Bengal

Calcutta Football League: 1991, 1995, 2000 IFA Shield: 1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, 2000 Durand Cup: 1990, 1991, 1995 Rovers Cup: 1990, 1994 Brothers Union

Premier Division League (Dhaka): 2003–04 National League: 2004

Individual

Arjuna Award: 1970 Mohun Bagan Ratna: 2016 Shaan-e-Mohammedan: 2022 Dronacharya Award: 1990