Veteran footballer and a member of the 1962 Asian Games gold medal winning Indian team I Arumainayagam will be conferred 'Mohun Bagan Ratna', the club announced after its executive committee meeting today.
The club will also confer Indian tennis ace Leander Paes as the Best Sportsperson of the Year and will felicitate cricketers Wriddhiman Saha, Mohammad Shami and Laxmi Ratan Shukla at their 125th anniversary celebration the date of which is yet to be announced.
Japanese forward Katsumi Yusa has been adjudged Best Footballer of the Year while Jayojit Basu was picked Best Crickter of the Year.
Former winger Arumainayagam along with Chuni Goswami, P K Banerjee, Jarnail Singh, Tulasi Balaram and the towering goalie Peter Thangaraj had formed one of India's greatest line-up, something that had translated in their Asiad triumph in Jakarta in 1962 and runners-up finish to host Israel in the Asia Cup two years later.
In a career spanning more than 20 years, the winger represented four teams - Karnataka, Bengal, Indian Railways and Tamil Nadu - in the Santosh Trophy.
Arumainayagam was a loyal Mohun Bagan player during his eight years in Kolkata and was affectionately known as 'Baby Taxi' in the Kolkata Maidan for his burst from the left wing.
