New Delhi

Mohammed Habib, the playmaker of the 1970s who scored against Pele's New York Cosmos in Mohun Bagan colours and was noticed by legend for it, died on Tuesday.

He was 74. Habib was suffering from dementia and Parkinson's syndrome for the past couple of years,

He breathed his last in birthplace, Hyderabad, his birthplace.

Habib was survived by his wife and three daughters.

A bronze medallist in the 1970 Asian Games in Bangkok under the captaincy of fellow Hyderabadi Syed Nayeemuddin and manager PK Banerjee, Habib has represented the big three of Kolkata -- Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting in his heydays, dominating the Mecca of Indian football for a prolonged period in the late 1960s through to the 70s.

He became a legend when after a successful career he refused to take up lucrative jobs that came his way. This gave him the tag of India's first "true professional" footballer.

Habib took to coaching at the Tata Football Academy (TFA) and was also appointed as chief coach of the Indian Football Association Academy in Haldia.

At a time when the clubs would pay meagre sum to their best players, he was unruffled and remained a professional in true sense throughout his career, for he considered playing football as his real and only profession.

One of the highlights of Habib's career was when he played for Mohun Bagan against the visiting Cosmos Club which also featured the legendary Pele in 1977 in a friendly on a rain-soaked Eden Gardens.

Up against a visiting team that had a star-studded line up with big names like Pele, Carlos Alberto, Georgio Chinaglia and others in its ranks, Mohun Bagan held their own in a creditable 2-2 draw with midfield mainstay Habib being one of the scorers.

In one of his biggest acknowledgments, Habib was singed out by Pele after the match with the one of the world's greatest player praising his game.