Mohun Bagan Ratna for ex-India defender Chowdhury

City football giants Mohun Bagan will confer the club's highest honour, the Mohun Bagan Ratna, on former India international Pradip Chowdhury on Sunday, a statement from the club said.

Chowdhury will be bestowed honoured on anniversary of the club's foundation day. Current Mohun Bagan goalkeeper Shilton Paul will be presented the Best Footballer award for the year 2017-18.

Top-order batsman Sudip Chatterjee will bag the Best Cricketer of the year award while Sourav Das will be given the Best Youth Footballer for the season 2017-18.

Rahim Ali will be conferred with a Special Award for his performance for the India U-17 team in the FIFA U-17 World Cup last year and the 2017-18 I-League.

Chowdhury, a former Mohun Bagan captain, will be the 18th recipient of the award, which was instituted in 2001, with late Sailen Manna being the first recipient.

Last year, former India defender Subrata Bhattacharya had been presented the award.

Chowdhury was also the India team manager and courted controversy when he left the India camp days before the 2011 Asian Cup after a reported fallout with then chief coach Bob Houghton.

--IANS

dm/ajb/vm