On Tuesday, before Mohun Bagan take on Bayern Munich at the Salt Lake stadium, the green and maroon players should be given a thorough briefing on the glorious history of the club against foreign teams. Established in 1891, Mohun Bagan shot into fame in 1911 when they became the first Indian team to defeat a number of British teams to win the IFA Shield.

It earned them the kind of name and fame that no other team in the country could match for many years. During the British Raj, Mohun Bagan were labelled as a nationalistic side, whose fans expected them to be extra motivated when pitted against an English side.

Though the situation changed after the country’s independence, Mohun Bagan continued their fine run against foreign teams. Bagan did extremely well during their tour of Africa and the Far East in the 60s.

Their best time, howbever, came in 1977 against Pele’s Cosmos at the Eden Gardens. Coached by PK Banerjee, Subrata Bhattacharya’s men held the American side to a 2-2 draw that stunned the supporters in the stands.

The visitors pointed their fingers at the poor quality of the pitch but that could hardly take the credit away from players like Gautam Sarkar or Mohammed Habib, who completely bottled up the great Pele.

Soon Mohun Bagan held yet another formidable foreign side, Ararat from the Soviet Union, to a 2-2 draw in the IFA Shield final. The Soviet side had some national team players in the squad and didn’t like the way Mohun Bagan toyed with them in the final.

The IFA didn’t want any trouble and declared the two teams as joint winners. Mohun Bagan, like Bayern, are also one of India’s most popular sides and enjoy huge fan following.

If Bayern have always enjoyed the support of the upper class in Munich, Mohun Bagan were also known to have powerful backing.

What attracted fans was the club’s nationalistic style of working and strict policies that included their one time policy of not recruiting any foreign player and never to protest against the referee’s decisions.