Sourav Ganguly talks about how Manchester United became his favourite football club

What’s the story?

Yesterday, a picture of Sourav Ganguly watching a Chelsea match from the sidelines went viral on social media. However, the Blues are not the favourite football club of the former Indian cricket captain. In fact, he is an avid follower of their bitter rivals, Manchester United. In this light, his recent visit to Stamford Bridge comes as a surprise, leaving fans in doubt about the fact that he may have switched his loyalties.

In an earlier interview to Xtra Time, Ganguly was quoted as saying, “Manchester United is my favourite club, especially when David Beckham used to play. Now the attachment is lesser, but its still there. When I went to play for Lancashire county, it was then that I fell in love with the Premier League, and Manchester United.”

In case you didn’t know

Ganguly was a proficient footballer before he followed in his elder brother’s footsteps and pursued cricket as a sport. His favourite position was that of a striker and such was his fascination with the game, that he was a regular spectator at the local football matches in Kolkata during his childhood.

In an earlier interview with Atletico de Kolkata's YouTube channel, the former Indian skipper revealed that his first memories of football were his first memories of a sport, because he never played cricket when young.

Ganguly added that in St Xavier's, where he studied, after 3 pm it was football time and he didn’t know what a cricket bat was, even though his brother used to play cricket. He added that he went on to play football till he was in class 9 and that he was pretty good at it.

Extending his passion for the game to another level, Ganguly is today the co-owner of the Kolkata franchise in the Indian Super League, a team that has emerged as champions on two occasions, first in the inaugural season and then once again in the third edition which concluded recently in December 2016.

Heart of the matter

His recent visit to London to witness a live match featuring Man Utd rivals Chelsea on their home turf at Stamford Bridge has left many people speculating about his support for Manchester United.

Sportskeeda’s take

MS Dhoni at Old Trafford!

Sourav Ganguly is not the only cricketer who owes his allegiance to the Red Devils, in fact, MS Dhoni, power-hitter Yuvraj Singh, Chris Gayle and Mahela Jayawardene are also supporters of the club. But it does come as a surprise to fans that Ganguly chose to witness a Chelsea match recently, something that a Manchester United fan would hardly even imagine to do.