Nobel Laureate Abhijit Banerjee wants to watch Mohun Bagan in action from the stands

Extending his gratitude to the club for the honour, Bannerjee said that he would like to watch a Mohun Bagan match from the stands in January 2020 during his next visit to Kolkata.

Besides conferring him with Life Membership, the club handed him the ‘First Day Cover of 1911’ and the famed maroon-green jersey with his name written on it.

He was also given a book, “Sona e Lekha Itihase”, written by Subir Mukherjee, a book on the history of Mohun Bagan.

Abhijit Banerjee, who received his early education from South Point School in Kolkata, used to play football in school and in the playground near his home.

In his brief interaction with Mohun Bagan’s Finance Secretary Debashis Dutta, the 58-year-old recalled his love for the beautiful game and spoke about a match he had attended.

East Bengal was taking on a club from Iran (Pass club) when he watched the game as a teenager.

“He asked us if any match will be on next time when he visits the city. I told him the I-League will be in action and he was very pleased and said that he will watch the match. We will surely invite him for a game,” said Dutta.

Banerjee was also asked if he supports any foreign clubs in the English Premier League or La Liga.

“No, I love Indian football,” he said. What about Manchester United? “No, I like all the Indian teams,” he reiterated, before adding that he can’t catch up on the games as he gets caught up with work.

Banerjee had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi a day before after which he arrived in Kolkata to a rousing reception at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport.

A huge crowd carrying posters, pictures and placards gathered at the airport to welcome Banerjee, who came home for the first time since winning the prestigious award. Slogans of ‘Bharater Gorbo’ (pride of India) Abhijit Banerjee’ echoed at the airport as the Nobel Laureate headed home to meet his mother.