Name: Peter Thangaraj
Country:
IndiaClub: Madras R.C. (1953-1960), Mohammedan S.C. (1960-1962)
Position: *GK, CF (mostly at Madras F.C.)
Side: RF/BS
Age: 23-27 years (24/12/1935)
Height: 190 cm
Weight: 85 kg
Attack: 55
Defence: 85
Balance: 86
Stamina: 67
Top Speed: 66
Acceleration: 69
Response: 88
Agility: 74
Dribble Accuracy: 58
Dribble Speed: 52
Short Pass Accuracy: 62
Short Pass Speed: 59
Long Pass Accuracy: 70
Long Pass Speed: 72
Shot Accuracy: 53
Shot Power: 87
Shot Technique: 57
Free Kick Accuracy: 45
Curling: 49
Header: 51
Jump: 83
Technique: 63
Aggression: 71
Mentality: 73
Goalkeeper Skills: 82
Team Work: 78
Injury Tolerance: B
Condition: 5
Weak Foot Accuracy: 5
Weak Foot Frequency: 5
Consistency: 6
Growth type: Early/Peak
CARDS:
S12 - 1-on-1 Keeper
S26 - GK Long Throw
SPECIAL ABILITIES: 1-on-1 Stopper
Attack/Defence Awareness Card: Balanced
INFO:
Thangaraj is a former goalkeeper. He played mainly in the 1950s and 1960s, spending seasons at Madras, Mohammedan, Mohun Bagan, and East Bengal, retiring in 1972. He was an international from 1955 to 1971, taking part to several competitions with India: the 1956 and 1960 Olympics, the 1958, 1962 — year of his peak — and 1966 Asian Games. In 1958 he was named best Asian goalkeeper, while in 1967 he received the Arjuna Award. In 2000 was named both Indian goalkeeper and 5th Asian goalkeeper of the 20th century.
Undoubtedly the greatest goalkeeper in the history of Indian football, Thangaraj was a giant for the time. He possessed good reach, excellent reaction, remarkable catching ability. He was effective at stopping crosses coming from the side thanks to his commanding ability in the air. He made also acrobatic saves with volleys, showing good agility and flexibility for a big man. He was quite daring, always using his whole body in one-on-one situations to guard the goal. It's said that Thangaraj modelled his skills on Yashin's ones when the two met at the 1956 Olympics. He wasn't only a goalkeeper who stopped the opposition from scoring but he liked making his own team score. In fact, he was a revolutionary goalkeeper who could play with his feet, being good at distributing the ball, assisting his teammates by delivering accurate passes from the back. He was fun to watch, acting as a sweeper-goalkeeper ante litteram, not only making saves but also covering the ground, and clearing the ball even 60-80 yards away, starting immediately an offense. He could make exciting long throws with the hands to the half-line with, sending the ball straight to his teammates — he's credited as the one who introduced the long throws in India. One of his few criticisms was about his weakness for stopping low shots. Occasionally a center forward — role he filled mostly at Madras — he even scored once while playing for India.