@thebeautifulgame In those days during transfer officials of Big clubs used to send key players to hideouts that opponents recruiters dont reach them and offer them a better deal. Moti Nandi narrated such incident in a novel named "Dalbadal er age". Those days were too good.
@nikhil I dont think so though I wished it was! The entire idea of bring Bruno, Vijayan, Kuljit and Bhutia is to emphasize that future starts as these from all 4 corners of India will come through this academy. Mind you, Bruno never played for EB while the rest 3 did.
East Bengal FSE is a joint project with EB and Kolkata Goalz supported by British Council. They train the kids thrice a week in EB ground. Some of those kids made it to the U15 youth league squad of EB.
@dhritiman7: Of course I remember the drama during the transfer season those days. One of the most influential EB recruiters who used to play a major role in these transfers/signings was, if I remember rightly, Suprakash Gargari. Remember reading somewhere that he is now in the opposition group. Did the story that you refer to narrate the career of a young aspiring footballer Samiran (Naku) is courted by the two top recruiters of the two big clubs of the Maidan, called Ghunu Dutta and Bata-da (modelled on the likes of Tutu and Paltu, I guess)? Ultimately, he has to take refuge in Ghunu's den to avoid the harassment of Bata's boys. When Ghunu refuses to release him for playing for the national team, he is saved by his upright, no-nonsense pishi (aunt) and her colleagues. That novel was published in 1991, if my memory does not give me the slip. As you said, those days were very good.
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