KOLKATTA: Samar Banerjee, who led India to an Olympic fourth-place finish in Melbourne in 1956, is no more. 
On July 27, a city hospital admitted the 92-year-old football player due to problems brought on by advancing age. His condition kept deteriorating as he contracted COVID-19 and breathed his last in the early hours of Saturday, August 20.
He was well-liked by all football players and fans and was widely known by the moniker "Badru" for his affable demeanour. When he joined Bally Protiva, a team in his hometown of Howrah district, Badru, who was born on January 30, 1930, had just begun his career with Milan Samity.
After a brief experience with the renowned Bengal-Nagpur Railway Club, Badru joined Mohun Bagan in 1952 because of how well-liked his forward skills had become. He enrolled as a student of medicine at a prestigious medical college in the city because he was also a brilliant student. But after three years of study, he decided to abandon it in favour of his first love, football.
Best Ever Achievements: His exploits with Mohun Bagan soon earned him a place in the Indian team. His academic and leadership excellency fetched him the captaincy of the Indian team that reached the semifinals at the Melbourne Olympics.
The Indian football teams have partaken in 3 Olympics thus far and till date, the performance by the Banerjee-led 1956 side remains the best, when they finished 4th after losing to Bulgaria 0-3 in the bronze medal playoff, in what was known as the 'golden era' of football in the country.

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