Football stars who rose from Bengaluru

In the cricket-mad nation, Bengaluru has produced several prominent football stars who have played a significant role in shaping the sport for India. The two areas that share the crown are Austin Town and Gowthampura.

Gowthampura’s Narayanaswami Ulaganathan, also known as Little Brazil, holds the record for the first Durand Cup hat-trick while representing Mohun Bagan.

CIL football team in 1978-79.

Recalling how his passion for football started, Mr. Ulaganathan said, “Poongam Kannan, Sattar Basheer, Ambrose finished their league in Kolkata and came to play in Gowthampura and we also trained with them.”

Mr. Ulaganathan’s journey started with Bangalore Mars Football Club. After joining CIL, he started playing with the likes of Krishnaji Rao, Noor and Amjad Khan. “In 1972 I played for India in the Olympic qualifiers in Burma. The next year I played the Merdeka tournament in Malaysia after which I got an offer from Mohun Bagan in 1974 where I played for three years. After that I played for East Bengal for three years,” said Mr. Ulaganathan.

He also played for Mohammedan Sporting FC for a year.

He represented India in the 1974 Asian Games in Iran and the Kings Cup in South Korea. He hung up his boots in 1985. He also received two awards from the West Bengal Government – ‘Banga Ratna’ and ‘Banglar Gaurav’. He is currently the brand ambassador for the Karnataka Football Association.

C. Ravi Kumar

C. Ravi Kumar, another footballer from Austin Town, has played more than 25 international matches for the Indian team. He established himself as a striker for the various football clubs he represented. He started his journey at Bangalore mars club where he played for teams like CIL, BEL and ITI.

Mr. Kumar also represented the country five times between 1983 and 1987 and played 10 times in the Santosh trophy.

“After playing for Mohun Bagan, I came back and settled in Bengaluru,” said Mr Kumar. Explaining how the game has changed over the years, Mr Kumar said: “Nowadays, whatever the manager or coach says, the players have to follow. In those days talent was important. Players could follow their technique.”

R. Mohan, former vice-president of the Bangalore District Football Association, another Austin Town player, represented the Mohammedan Sporting Club. His father, TL Ramaswamy, represented Karnataka and played for the Kalighat club in 1936. Mr. Mohan began his journey in 1969 at a regional coaching camp in Bengaluru. In 1973, he joined the Railways team.

“I represented the junior national team for Karnataka in Manipur in 1975 where we lost to Bengal in the semi-finals. I transferred to Kolkata where I played for Mohammedan Sporting Club in 1977,” he said.

Mr. Mohan said that Syed Naeemuddin, who was the captain of the Indian football team, taught him the basics of the game. He then returned to Bengaluru and played for several local clubs, including HAL Football Club where he played for 15 years.

Noel Anthony William, another Austin Town footballer who represented India between 1998 and 2002, graduated from the Tata Football Academy. “We didn’t have age group tournaments in our day. We played open tournaments like the Durand Cup.”

With the introduction of the Indian Super League in India, Mr William said with the advent of convenience, players should not be relaxed. “With facilities like nutritionist, dietician and health and fitness coach, players should use them and perform well in the national team. But they don’t play in the national team because they get better money in the clubs. A player who plays for the national team should be paid more,” William added.

Published – 21 Jun 2026 06:00 IST