Samar ‘Badru’ Banerjee, former Indian football team captain who led the team in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and finished 4th, died on Saturday after a prolonged illness. 92 years old ‘Badru’ was suffering from Alzheimer’s, Azotemia and high-blood pressure-related ailments. He tested positive for Covid-19 on July 27 and was admitted to the MR Bangur Hospital, Kolkata.

In the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, the Indian football team was defeated by Bulgaria in the fight for the Bronze. One remarkable achievement was that Neville D’Souza became the first Asian to score a hat-trick in the history of Olympic football. He achieved the feat in a 4–2 victory over Australia at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.

Bestowed with the Mohun Bagan Ratna in 2009, he led the Mohun Bagan team to win several trophies, including Durand Cup (1953), Rovers Cup (1955), and Santosh Trophy (1953, 1955), IFA Shield (1952, 1954, 1956). Under his leadership, the Indian football team also won Colombo Cup in 1954. He also won Calcutta Football League in 1954, 1955, 1956, and 1959

In his initial career as a footballer, he represented Bally Protiva, a third-division club in the Calcutta Football League. Later, he was roped in by Bengal Nagpur Railway. For Mohun Bagan, he played from 1952 to 1959.