Anupam Roy: I’m a Liverpool fan

Having being born and raised in Kolkata, football was always the first love.

As a youngster, I was a die-hard fan of the late Krishanu Dey, writes Anupam Roy.

First things first, I am not a cricket buff. My world revolves around football and for years, I have been rooting for Liverpool. Having being born and raised in Kolkata, football was always the first love. Be it watching arch-rivals Mohun Bagan and East Bengal in the Kolkata derby or listening to radio commentary of a Santosh Trophy or a Durand Cup final, since childhood, football and the men who play the game have attracted me.

As a youngster, I was a die-hard fan of the late Krishanu Dey and made it a point to keep a tab on all the matches he played. I distinctly remember an incident when I bumped into Dey and his team-mate Bikash Panji.

The two were riding a bike, on their way back home from practice, and I was in a car with my parents. In one of the traffic signals near Park Street, they stopped next to us and I waved at them. Both Dey and Panji waved back and smiled at me.

For a school boy, it was a great feeling and trust me, I still cherish those moments.

For the last many years, I have been an ardent Liverpool supporter. The success of the team makes me happy, while every defeat hurts badly. For me, the best memories of Liverpool was when the team won the Champions League in Istanbul, way back in 2005. I remember watching the game with my friends and as Liverpool was 0-3 down against AC Milan, my friends started teasing me. But things changed soon as we drew level. Those are the memories I will always remember and such exhilarating games make you fall in love with the sport.

I have always been a big fan of Steven Gerrard. He has always been a match-winner for the team. Even now, Liverpool has been doing well under Jurgen Klopp. With Mohamed Salah around, the team has only become stronger. I hope they achieve more success.

The last few weeks have been amazing. As Liverpool won the Champions League title, I also had the privilege of visiting Anfield. It was always a dream to visit the iconic venue and I was bowled over!

Anupam Roy is a singer and composer.

As told to Shayan Acharya.