Gangtok, March 10: Footballer Bhaichung Bhutia spent most of his time in school on the playground and now the main pavilion of his alma mater, Tashi Namgyal Academy (TNA) in Gangtok, has been named after him.

The captain of the Indian football team today visited the school, where his former teachers remembered him as a disciplined student who excelled in sports. Bhaichung was not good at football alone, but had also represented his school in badminton, athletics, swimming and basketball as well.

Bhaichung, back in Sikkim along with a few of his team-mates from the national team, is following a hectic schedule of felicitations that were lined up after he won the Padma Shri award this year.

TNA, Sikkim’s best known public school, along with its alumni association today felicitated Bhaichung and afterwards declared a holiday in his honour. It was a double treat for the current students, as they also got to hear some wonderful anecdotes from their hero.

“It’s always nice to come back to my old school. I was in Yuksom (Red) house and my main intention was to defeat Phensong (green) house which had my friend Sherab Lepcha (a footballer good enough to have played for Calcutta clubs East Bengal and Mohun Bagan),” Bhaichung said to huge laughter from the students.

The footballer added that his favourite subject was mathematics and while all his friends failed in the subject he did extremely well. The story was greeted with another roar of laughter from the students.

Bhaichung joined TNA in 1987 and that is where his love for the game grew. Today, he fondly remembered his coach in school, Manas Chakraborty, who died last year. Bhaichung recalled that when the school team took part in football tournaments away from home, his coach was not only a friend but also doubled as a partner-in-crime in pranks.

Records show that Bhaichung twice bagged the best footballer award in the Indian Public Schools tournament held at Mayo in Ajmer. He was also declared the best player in the national inter-school football tournament, Subroto Cup, and his team had lifted the Limca Cup thrice. He started playing professional football soon after finishing school in 1994 and quickly made it to the national team.

Bhaichung told the current students that they should keep trying to reach their goals. “You should not forget to have fun as well because school life is one of the best periods in that journey,” he added.

“At TNA, we stand with pride that one of our own has achieved such tremendous feats. Bhaichung proves that talent alone is not sufficient and that it has to be backed by hard work and discipline,” said TNA principal A.C. Rai.