Zakaria Pintoo, the legendary captain of Swadhin Bangla National Football Team, was laid to rest at The Martyred Intellectuals’ Graveyard in Mirpur yesterday following three namaz-e-janazas held in the capital.

When Pintoo made a bold but heartfelt claim, saying that “I am luckier than Pele," he was not boasting about his skills on the pitch but about his unparalleled role in history. While the Brazilian icon dazzled with goals, Pintoo led a team that fought for a nation’s freedom.

Zakaria Pintoo, who passed away in Dhaka yesterday at the age of 81, was not only the captain of Swadhin Bangla football team and the first captain of independent Bangladesh, but was also a reference point to many legends of Bangladesh football.