KOLKATA: Before taking his troop to the Salt Lake Stadium pitch on Saturday and after formally introducing Cleiton Silva to his squad, East Bengal coach Carles Cuadrat asked the Brazilian to speak in the team meeting. Cleiton, who landed in the city only in the morning and thus missed his date with another derby, was one of the few bright spots in the team's wretched 2022-2023 season.
"Cleiton could not be part of the team, but he helped us in the team bonding. He gave others inspiration," Cuadrat later revealed.