Ex-India footballer Sudip Chatterjee dies

Former India footballer Sudip Chatterjee died in Kolkata on Monday following a heart attack. He was 47.

One of the finest midfielders the country ever produced, Sudip's career spanned more than a decade in top class football during which he donned the colours of the big three Kolkata clubs -- Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting.

A find of former Olympian Arun Ghosh, the diminutive footballer, who former national coach Ciric Milovan had taken much pride in, started as a stopper with Bengal Nagpur Railway club in Kolkata's first division league before making his debut for Mohun Bagan in 1982.

However, even before that he was selected for the national side, for the Mardeka tournament in Malaysia in 1981.

He represented the country at the Asian Games in 1982 as right back, under coach P K Banerjee.

After he opted for East Bengal in 1984, Sudip permanently settled for the central midfield position at the instance of coach Amal Dutta.

Yugoslav coach Milovan, who was in charge of the national side in the mid-eighties, also retained Sudip in the same position.

After retiring from top class soccer in 1991, Sudip assumed the role of coach of West Bengal in the Santosh Trophy in 1997-98.

He also coached a few small clubs in the Kolkata league, but was forced to bid adieu to football because of illness.