Love the city or hate it. Call it what you will -- Calcutta or Kolkata. But if you have lived in the city for any length of time, you cannot escape its frenzied love affair with football.

History: The first 'open' football (Soccer) tournament in India was the Trade's Cup which started in 1889. The "Shobhabazar Club" team became the first ever Indian team to defeat a European football team (East Surrey Regiment) in 1892 in a Trade's Cup match. In 1911, the Mohun Bagan team defeated the British team of East York in the finals, lifting the IFA Shield and creating history.

Mohun Bagan: More than a football club, his premier football establishment established in 1889 was a symbol of Indian nationalism during the British Raj. It became a hub of major nationalist activities during the British period. The emergence of Mohun Bagan as a team definitively established a Bengali sporting identity.

Some of the legendary stalwarts of Mohun Bagan include Sailen Manna, Chuni Goswami and the like. Others include Ratan Sen, Umapti Kumar, Sattar, Ranu Gehaneogi, and Badru Banerjee.

The Great Rivalry: The enduring rivalry between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal is the stuff of legends and addas in Calcutta. EastBengal is the team comprising immigrants from East Bengal (presently Bangaladesh). The East Bengal Club was formed in 1930. Both clubs went at each other with a gusto that certainly helped in raising the standard of Bengali football. some luminaries of East Bengal Club, which has always courted "outsiders", include Byomkesh Bose, Chandan Singh, Mariappa Kempia, Venkatesh Apparao, Ahmed Khan, and Dhanraj.

They stand as sentinel to keep Eden bright and radiant in the 21st century.

- J.Vinay