Prabir Das Announces Retirement, Bids Farewell With Mohun Bagan in His Heart

Xtratime Webdesk: Former Mohun Bagan defender Prabir Das has announced his retirement from professional football, bringing the curtain down on a career that saw him represent several clubs, including Mohun Bagan, ATK, Bengaluru FC, Kerala Blasters, Mumbai City FC, and Inter Kashi.

Sharing this news on social media, Prabir admitted that announcing this was one of the hardest things he had ever had to put into words. For a footballer, he said, the day of retirement is inevitable, but no one is ever truly prepared for it. For Prabir, football had been his life for as long as he could remember. From the highs of winning and the joy of memorable moments to defeats, injuries and difficult periods, the game shaped both his career and the person he became. 

Prabir’s football journey began at the SAIL Academy, before taking him to clubs such as Pailan Arrows, Dempo, FC Goa and Delhi Dynamos but it was his move to Mohun Bagan that changed everything.

Even after leaving the club, Prabir continued to speak emotionally about the Mariners. He described it as his “mother club” and said it was where he truly found his identity as a footballer. The love he received from the club and its supporters, he added, will stay with him forever.

His time with ATK was another defining chapter. It brought a championship, several memorable moments and one of the biggest setbacks of his career in the form of an ACL injury. His comeback from that injury taught him the importance of never giving up. He later returned to his "mother club" Mohun Bagan "Super Giant", a spell he described as one of the most memorable periods of his career.

But Prabir’s journey was not without its darker moments. Reflecting on his time with Kerala Blasters, he revealed that he experienced numbness and tingling on the left side of his body, along with problems with his balance, during the club’s pre-season in Thailand.

That led to one of the toughest battles of his life as he dealt with a serious neurological problem. For the first time, his biggest fight was not about getting back on the football pitch, it was about getting his health back and feeling like himself again.

After a long and eventful career, Prabir has now decided to call time on his career. He admitted that the decision was far from easy, but felt that eventually, every footballer has to take that step. While he is walking away from professional football, Prabir does not intend to walk away from the game itself, expressing his desire to remain connected with football in the next chapter of his life.