New Delhi: Former India players, including Renedy Singh and Venkatesh Shanmugam, mourned the untimely death of their teammate Manitombi Singh. They recalled him as a ‘fighter’ on the pitch and a ‘friend’ off it. Manitombi Singh, a former India and Mohun Bagan footballer, died aged 39 Sunday. He was a part of the ‘Blue Tigers’ side that famously lifted the LG Cup in Vietnam 18 years ago. The full-back also represented India in the 2002 Asian Games in Busan.
“I was really shocked to hear of his (Manitombi) death. He was such an asset to Indian football,” said his former India teammate Venkatesh, who is now the national team assistant coach.
“I had seen him put in some really good performances on the pitch. He was an absolute fighter, an absolute commitment player. “As a defender, he was right up there with Mahesh (Gawli), Deepak (Mondal) or Surkumar (Singh),” Venkatesh added.
Defender Debjit Ghosh had played alongside Manitombi in the national team. He had also captained the player during their days at Mohun Bagan. Ghosh was surprised and shocked to get the news about Manitombi’s death.
“I was very surprised to hear that he (Manitombi) had passed away. We could all do with some good news this year, and this was certainly not one of them. He was a dear friend off the pitch,” said Ghosh.
“I had captained him back in my Mohun Bagan days, and he’s the kind of youngster you’d want to have in the team. I remember, I used to always bark out instructions to my fellow defenders on the pitch. Manitombi carried them out to perfection. He was a true warrior,” added Ghosh.
Ex-Blue Tigers winger Renedy Singh had also played alongside Manitombi for both India and Mohun Bagan.
“As a captain, you have to often lead by example. Manitombi was that kind of a captain. He worked hard on the pitch, and that’s how he inspired the rest of us. When you think of a tough tackler like him, you’d rather have him on your side than in the opposition,” said Renedy.
While the full-back was a ‘tough tackler’ on the pitch, he was different off it. “He was a real tough guy on the pitch, and was very difficult to beat. But once the game was over and we walked off the pitch, his jovial side took over. He could mingle with both seniors and juniors alike, and that’s the kind of players you need in the dressing room,” added Renedy.
The nature of Manitombi’s illness was not clear and his family members did not share any details.