For Maidan’s former football heroes, the death of erstwhile defender Chinmoy Chatterjee has come as a shock.

Chinmoy, who played for all three Maidan giants — Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting, passed away after suffering a cardiac arrest at his residence in Khardah on the outskirts of Calcutta on Sunday. He was 68 and is survived by his wife, son and daughter.

Former India footballer Shyam Thapa still can’t come to terms with the news. “I knew him for more than four decades. If anyone asks me about my friend Chinmoy, the first thing I would say — he was very systematic and hard working. His fitness was also remarkable. But when I got the bad news on Sunday that Chinmoy was no more, it was shocking and hard to digest. But we have to accept the reality,” Thapa told The Telegraph on Monday.

It was a personal loss for former India striker Ranjit Mukherjee. “We are from Khardah. I am four years older than Chinmoy. He and Bhaskarda (Ganguly, former India goalkeeper) played for Rahara Sangha in the early days of our career. My father did not want me to play much. I used to hide my kit bag at Chinmoy’s home, so you can understand how close we were. I met him in the market on Sunday morning and got the shocking news in the afternoon,” Ranjit Mukherjee said.

He recalled how Chinmoy’s career took a turn for the better. “Chinmoy was not getting a chance in the playing eleven for East Bengal. But just before the IFA Shield final (against Mohun Bagan) in 1976, Ashoklal Banerjee had an upset stomach and was unavailable for selection. Sudhirda (Sudhir Karmakar, former India defender) told coach Amal Dutta, ‘I will play as a stopper. Put Chinmoy as right back’. Chinmoy played a superb game and never looked back,” Ranjit Mukherjee said.

“He had the ability to play in two positions — right back as well as stopper,” he added.

To former India defender Aloke Mukherjee, Chinmoy was like an “elder brother”. “I last met him on Friday during a felicitation programme organised by Mohammedan Sporting Club. He was sitting beside me, and our banter and leg-pulling was going on in full swing. Prasantada (Prasanta Banerjee, former India footballer) was saying something about Chinmoyda and he was retorting and vice-versa.

“They were older than me and batch mates. During my playing days I never interfered in their exchanges and Friday was no different. But I enjoyed it throughout,” Aloke Mukherjee said.

“He guided me like an elder brother. I joined Mohammedan Sporting from George Telegraph in 1981. That year Mohammedan Sporting had a strong squad which won the Calcutta League. He used to tell me how to prepare myself for the big stage. The relation which started in 1981 continued till Sunday,” Aloke Mukherjee said.