Legendary goalkeeper Subrata Paul has officially announced his retirement from football today, marking the end of a highly accomplished two-decade career. Paul concludes his 21-year journey in the Indian football scene, garnering numerous accolades at both club and national team levels. He was bestowed with the prestigious Arjuna Award in 2016.

The West Bengal-born keeper commenced his career with Mohun Bagan in 2004, immediately after graduating from the Tata Football Academy in Jamshedpur. Since then, he has been one of India's most celebrated goalkeepers in its football history. In 2007, he joined rivals East Bengal FC and emerged as a crucial figure for the Red and Gold Brigade, earning the title of the best goalkeeper in the I-League in 2007. He also played for various clubs in the I-League, including Pune FC, Prayag United, and Rangdajied United.

Paul represented India at all age groups, gaining prominence with the Under-23 team in the Pre-Olympic qualifiers. In a crucial penalty shootout against Myanmar, he made three crucial saves, securing India's qualification for the Group stage. He was promoted to the senior India side in 2007. The Arjuna Award winner boasts 67 national team appearances and was also a member of India's 2007 and 2009 Nehru Cup-winning teams.

Farewell to the 🇮🇳 Spiderman 🕸️

After an illustrious career between the sticks, @THESUBRATAPAUL bids adieu to the beautiful game. 🧤#ISL #ISL10 #LetsFootball #SubrataPaul | @JioCinema @Sports18 @eastbengal_fc @JamshedpurFC pic.twitter.com/7oR9Kna96u

— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) December 8, 2023

Nicknamed the "Spiderman of India", Paul made his Indian Super League (ISL) debut in 2014 with Mumbai City FC in its inaugural season, delivering strong performances whenever he had the opportunity. In his ISL career spanning 95 games, Paul secured 28 clean sheets, ranking sixth in the all-time highest clean sheets in the league. He made 269 saves, placing fourth in the all-time highest saves in the ISL.

After two seasons with Mumbai City FC, he moved to NorthEast United before signing with Jamshedpur FC in the 2017-18 campaign, where he had the standout moment of his career. He won the Golden Glove in the 2017-18 season, achieving seven clean sheets, the highest in the league. With 50 saves, he ranked second in the league for the most saves that season.

Paul led in the metric of save percentage that season with 77%, the highest among goalkeepers with at least eight appearances. Additionally, he ranked second in the category of ball recoveries with 180 recoveries that season. Although Jamshedpur FC did not enter the playoffs that season, Subrata Paul's performance was the hallmark of their campaign.

Later in his career, he also played for Hyderabad FC, with short loan spells at East Bengal FC and Mohun Bagan Super Giant.