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Moving Category:Mohun Bagan A.C. players to Category:Mohun Bagan AC players per Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Speedy

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{{short description|Indian footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2016}}
{{Use Indian English|date=September 2016}}
{{Infobox football biography
|embed =
|name = Narayanswami Ulaganathan
|image =
|image_size =
|caption =
|fullname =
|birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1952}}
|birth_place = [[Bangalore]], [[Mysore State]], [[India]]
|death_date =
|death_place =
|height =
|position = [[Midfielder|Winger]]
|youthyears1 = 1969
|youthclubs1 = Bangalore Mars
|youthyears2 = 1970
|youthclubs2 = Army Football Club, 515
|youthyears3 = 1971–1974
|youthclubs3 = Chief Inspectorate of Electronics
|years1 = 1974–1976
|clubs1 = [[Mohun Bagan A.C.|Mohun Bagan]]
|caps1 =
|goals1 =
|years2 = 1976–1979
|clubs2 = [[East Bengal F.C.|East Bengal]]
|caps2 =
|goals2 =
|years3 = 1979–1983
|clubs3 = [[Mohun Bagan A.C.|Mohun Bagan]]
|caps3 =
|goals3 =
|years4 = 1983–1984
|clubs4 = [[Mohammedan S.C. (Kolkata)|Mohammedan]]
|cap4 =
|goals4 =
|years5 = 1984–1985
|clubs5 = [[Mohun Bagan A.C.|Mohun Bagan]]
|cap5 =
|goals5 =
|totalcaps =
|totalgoals =
|nationalyears1 = 1972–1977
|nationalteam1 = [[India national football team|India]]
|nationalcaps1 =
|nationalgoals1 =
|medaltemplates =
}}

'''Narayanswami Ulaganathan''' (born 1952) is an Indian former [[Association football|footballer]]. He played for [[Mohun Bagan A.C.|Mohun Bagan]] in three spells, [[East Bengal F.C.|East Bengal]], [[Mohammedan S.C. (Kolkata)|Mohammedan]] and the [[India national football team|Indian national team]] primarily as a [[Midfielder|winger]], during his 12-year career as a professional footballer.

Playing for ''the Mariners'' in 1976, he became the first player to score a hat-trick in the [[Durand Cup]] final, which came against [[JCT FC|JCT Mills]]. Nicknamed "Black Pearl", Ulaganathan was renowned for his speed with the ball and footwork as a winger, and was considered one of India's best wingers during his time.<ref name="tht1">{{cite web |author= Sengupta, Somnath |title= Legends Of Indian Football : Narayanswami Ulaganathan |url= http://www.thehardtackle.com/2013/legends-of-indian-football-narayanswami-ulaganathan/ |website= thehardtackle.com |date= 5 November 2013 |access-date= 14 October 2014}}</ref> He was notable in not having received a single yellow card throughout his career.<ref>{{cite news |author= Nair, Avinash |title= They used to call out Ulaga… Ulaga! |url= http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/they-used-to-call-out-ulaga-ulaga/article1483396.ece |newspaper= The Hindu |date= 23 February 2011 |access-date= 14 October 2014}}</ref> He retired from professional football in 1985.

==Childhood and early career==
Ulaganathan was born in 1952 into a [[Tamil people|Tamilian]] family in Gautamapura, [[Austin Town]], a locality in [[Bangalore]], of the erstwhile [[Mysore State]] (now [[Karnataka]]). He played [[cricket]], football, [[gilli-danda]] and [[Marble (toy)|marbles]] as a child. Growing up in Gautamapura, a locality that was named 'mini Brazil', as it was home to Arumoy Naigam, Kannan, both established footballers at the time, Ulaganathan was influenced by them, before taking to football seriously when he was 16.

His football career started in 1969 when he began playing for a local Bangalore club, Bangalore Mars. After a year with Mars, he moved to Army Base team, 515, an [[Indian Army|army]] team. Following this he played a striker for another army team, Chief Inspectorate of Electronics (CIL), for three seasons, till 1974. During the time, he also represented his home state, Mysore (now Karnataka), in the [[Santosh Trophy]], from 1968 to 1973. As a senior professional, he got his first break in 1972, when he was called for the national selection camp in [[Calcutta]] (now Kolkata) for the Olympics qualifiers in [[Rangoon]].<ref name="tht1" /> Having been selected, he played at the tournament.

==Career==
===Mohun Bagan===
[[Sailen Manna]], a former [[Mohun Bagan A.C.|Mohun Bagan]] player was told of Ulaganathan's talent by Arumoy Naigam and Kannan, who tried to sign him for Bagan during the national selection camp in 1972. However, he was not released by his then club and employer CIL, for, the rules said, he had to apply for a transfer six months in advance. However, he signed for Bagan in 1974. He had an ordinary first season with Bagan finishing the season third behind rivals [[East Bengal F.C.|East Bengal]] and [[Techno Aryan F.C.|Aryan]]. Having had a difficult start at the club, he considered leaving the club at the time. This was until [[Durand Cup]] of the season came. Bagan beat Bengal in the semifinals, with Ulaganathan scoring a late winner through a header with three minutes left. The 1–0 win broke Bengal's losing streak of 1,932 days against them.<ref name="tht1" /> Facing [[JCT FC|JCT Mills]] in the finals in [[Delhi]], he scored a hat-trick in the team's win 3–2, with Bagan winning the Cup after ten years. In the process, he became the first player to score a hat-trick in a Durand Cup final. The following season proved to be ordinary for both Ulaganathan and the team, failing to win a single trophy and also losing to Bengal 5–0 in the [[IFA Shield]] final.

In his next season, on 24 July 1976, in the game against Bengal, Ulaganathan [[Assist (football)|assisted]] Mohammad Akbar in scoring a goal in 14 seconds from start. Receiving the delivery from defender Prasun, he beat Bengal defender Sudhir Karmakar, to pass the ball to Akbar who scored what was one of the fastest league goals, and the fastest [[Kolkata derby|Calcutta derby]] goal.<ref name="tht1" /> He finished the season winning a unique treble with the team; the [[Indian Football Association|IFA League]], IFA Shield and the [[Rovers Cup]], and also the [[Bordoloi Trophy]], with [[Pradip Kumar Banerjee]] as the coach.

===East Bengal===
With Bagan signing Bengal forward Shyam Thapa, Ulaganathan made a move to Bengal having received a good offer, in 1976. In his first season with Bengal, he helped the team the IFA League. In the 1977 season, he finished with 9 goals, the highest in his career in a season.<ref name="bc">{{cite web |author= Naidu, Snehalatha| title= Our very own Pele |url= http://bangalore.citizenmatters.in/articles/3008-sports-our-very-own-pele/print |website= bangalore.citizenmatters.in |date= 16 May 2011 |access-date= 14 October 2014}}</ref> In the 1978–79 season, he won his second Durand Cup title and also helped the team win its first [[Federation Cup (India)|Federation Cup]], after the team played out a draw with Bagan 0–0, hence being declared joint winners.

===Return to Mohun Bagan and later career===
Ulaganathan returned to his former club Mohun Bagan in 1979. He had Xavier Pius as his strike partner, both of who would go on to win many trophies together, during their time at Bagan. During his second spell at Bagan, Ulaganathan won the IFA League in 1979 and 1983, Durand Cups in 1979, 1980 and 1982, and IFA Shield Cups in 1979, 1981 and 1982 along with two Federation Cup titles.

In 1983, following four seasons with Bagan, Ulaganathan signed for another Calcutta club, [[Mohammedan S.C. (Kolkata)|Mohammedan Sporting]]. Once there, he helped his team win the Federation Cup, his fourth. Sporting beat Mohun Bagan 2–0 in the final, with both goals scored by Jamshed Nasiri, with assists from Ulaganathan. After a season with Sporting, he returned to his former club, Mohun Bagan, in 1984. Having played one season with bagan, he retired in 1985.<ref name="bc" />

==International career==
Ulaganathan made his first appearance for the [[India national football team|Indian national team]] at the Olympic qualifiers in [[Rangoon]]. He was then called up for the 1973 Merdeka Cup, when he scored his first goal for India, in a match against [[Cambodia national football team|Cambodia]], a match that India won 3–0. In the quarterfinal against [[Malaysia national football team|Malaysia]], he injured his shinbone following a collision with a player that made him to sit out of the team for six months. He was member of the squad that took part at the [[1974 Asian Games]] in [[Tehran]] and the 1977 goodwill tour of [[Zambia]].<ref>{{cite web |title= I am grateful to Mohun Bagan and Manna da: Ulganathan |url= http://www.mohunbaganac.com/interview-detail/i-am-grateful-to-mohun-bagan-and-manna-da-ulganathan |publisher= mohunbaganac.com |work= Mohun Bagan |date= 17 August 2010 |access-date= 14 October 2014}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Ulaganathan married Arati Palit, the cousin of his then teammate Dilip Palit, in 1979. They have a son, Abhishek, who played football like his father, but did not take it professionally. He has been employed with Bengal Chemicals since 1979, and currently in its Bangalore office, in the marketing department. He resides in [[Fraser Town, Bangalore|Fraser Town]], a locality in Bangalore, with his family in his house named "Soccer Ville".

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ulaganathan, Narayanswami}}
[[Category:1952 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Indian footballers]]
[[Category:Footballers from Bangalore]]
[[Category:Association football midfielders]]
[[Category:India international footballers]]
[[Category:Mohun Bagan AC players]]
[[Category:SC East Bengal players]]
[[Category:Mohammedan SC (Kolkata) players]]

Narayanswami Ulaganathan - Revision history

imported>JJMC89 bot III: Moving :Category:Mohun Bagan A.C. players to :Category:Mohun Bagan AC players per Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Speedy