DEFENDERS
MENINO FIGUEIREDO
Tall and well-built, Menino was a tower of strength in the Salgaocar Sports Club defence. He started his career as a right back and later played as a midfielder. Menino has the distinction of leading Goa in the 1963-64 National on debut and also captained the side in the National Championship at Guwahati in 1964. He played for India XI in an exhibition match against an Australia side at Bombay in 1967. Menino assisted Salgaocar from 1966 to 1971 and was the captain of the team in 1963-64 when it emerged the First Division league champion with an unbeaten record. Menino also played for Goa XI against Karachi Port Trust and Benfica in 1959.
Even the best of the right wingers had a tough time against this sparsely built left back who donned the Salgaocar colours from 1957 to 1967 after starting his career with St. Minguel Club, Taleigao. Fondly known as Candu, he was stubborn in defence. There were occasions when Candu got injured and yet carried on bravely with his usual zeal and determination. When Parkkot was the manager of Salgaocar Sports Club, he would tell Candu not to allow any liberty to a particular player from the rival side and Candu always rose to the occasion. He was the vice-captain of the Goa team that took part in the National for the first time in 1963-64. He also played at Guwahati in 1964.
Pint-sized Rosario, popularly known as Aboo, was a right back with sound defence knowledge. Vasco enjoyed his services when it dominated the football scene during the sixties. Aboo marked his opponents very tightly and hardly allowed them to have a clear look at the Vasco goal. The moves of the opponents floundered against his rock-like defence. He had strength and stamina to play well throughout the match. Aboo ended his .career with Salgaocar Sports Club. He played for Goa in 1965 (Quilon), 1966 (Cuttack), 1967 (Hyderabad) and 1971 (Madras).
Diminutive Socorro was a left back of a high calibre. He was in great form when he played for Shantilal Sports Club. Socorro assisted Dempo for a number of years, after he had donned the Sesa colours. He achieved the distinction of leading Goa on two consecutive occasions in the Nationals and represented Goa 15 times altogether. After his retirement, Socorro coached a First Division league side, Dempo Engineering. He coached the Goa side that won the Junior National Championship at Panjim in 1980. Socorro was good enough to play for the country, but unfortunately the selectors never thought of including him in the squad. Socorro captained Goa in 1969 and 1970 Nationals at Nowgong and Jalandhar and played for Goa from 1966 to 1980.
He was Salgaocar''s first captain when they formed their team "Vimson" in 1955. Salgaocar enjoyed the services of this formidable sTOPper from 1955 to 1974. The Salgaocar defence, which was strong in the presence of Menino, Candu and A1cantra, became redoubtable with Caetano taking his rightful place in the side. He gave little room for the opponents to pose danger to the Salgaocar goal as he cleared the ball in the nick of time and intercepted perfectly. Caetano achieved the distinction of captaining Goa for the 1967 Nationals at Hyderabad.
RAMNATH KENI
Keni played an important role in taking MCC into the final of the first Goa Police Cup tournament in 1968. He marshalled the MCC defence comprising Thanga, Balkrishna and Seby admirably to win the appreciation of one and all. MCC went down fighting to formidable Vasco Sports Club by a solitary goal, which was scored by Bernard. Keni''s services were soon acquired by Dempo Souza. He was one of the outstanding defenders for Dempo Sports Club.
CAETANO MASCARENHAS
Tall and well built, Caetano always provided a solid defence for St. Inez Sports Club. He eased the pressure on the team with his first time clearances and the opponents never found it easy to sneak past him. He could recover quickly to sTOP the rival forwards and save the situation for his side in time. Caetano never accepted the offers from the leading clubs as he had the interest of St. Inez at heart. He represented Goa in the 1965 National at Quilon. His career ended with Goa Police. Caetano scored twice (off a comer kick and a spot kick) against Benzinho and helped St. Inez to hold Railways to a two all draw in a senior division league match in 1966.
SRINIWAS SALIAN
With his ideal build, Sriniwas distinguished himself as a formidable defender. His presence strengthened Sesa Goa''s defence as he performed his task very efficiently. He was at ease to deal with the high balls because of his height. Sriniwas played for Vasco in 1969 when it was riding the crest of a wave of success. Even when he had an injury he carried on bravely and defended stoutly.
The competent stopper from MCC had a good career with Sesa Goa. The side always relied on him to do a good job and he never disappointed his supporters. He was stubborn in defence and had a very good temperament.. Thomas represented Goa in the 1968 Nationals at Cuttack and at Nowgong in 1969.
The sparsely built defender rendered very useful service to
Vasco Sports club from 1971 to 1976. Bharatan performed his task coolly and served Vasco well in a number of major tournaments. He hailed from Kerala and represented Goa in the 1973 Nationals at Ernakulam, 1974 (Jalandhar) and 1975 (Kozhikode).
SHIVRAJ
Tall and well built, Shivraj played as the right back for Vasco Sports Club from 1965 to 1974. He assisted Vasco in both the Rovers Cup fmals. He defended safely and many a time he moved upfield to bolster the attack and exert great pressure on the opponents. Shivraj played for Goa at Nowgong in 1969 and at Ernakulamin 1973.
INACIO PIEDADE
Mercurial Inacio Piedade, had few equals as a right back. He was a very tenacious defender and the opponents found it difficult to beat him. He tackled fiercely and dispossess
rival of the ball without any problem. Inacio recovered quick] beaten on any occasion. The fact that he could find a plac
the fancied Goa team of 1971 speaks volumes for his ta1ent~ ability. Inacio served Salgaocar very ably during his success! career after a brief stay with Dempo. He scored Salgaocar''s marq winner in the Puttiah tournament final against Vasco. His natil ,I innings: 1969 (Nowgong), 1970 (Jalandhar), 1971 (Madras)
1972 (Goa).
T. K. CHATUNNI
He joined Vasco Sports Club from E.M.E. Cenb
Secunderabad in 1970 and played for them until 197 4. Cham started playing in midfield but in course
of time he assumed! role of a sTOPper and excelled in this position. Vasco wonl Chakola Gold trophy
at Trichur and the Goa Lea~ Championship in 1973 when he was the captain of the side, goal by
Chatunni helped Vasco to get the better of Dempoinl final of the 1973 Kerala Football Association
Shield toumamJ Chatunni represented India in the Merdeka tournament at K~ Lumpur in 1973. He played
for Orkay Mills in 1975-76 and jam the Kerala State Sports Council as a coach in 1978. KeralaP~ won
the final of the Federation Cup tournament ag
Salgaocar at Thiichur in 1990 when it had Chatunni as it c Nationals: 1971 (Madras), 1972 (Goa)and
1973 (Emakulam),w he was the vice-captain.
Vasco Sports Club enjoyed the services of this great cen defender from 1968-1974. Ambrose marshalled Vasco''s dele
, in an authoritative manner and played a stellar role in its suco He had joined Vasco from 2-STC along with Avinder S~ Ambrose marked dashing forwards like Subhash Bhowm (Bengal) and Magan Singh Rizvi (Rajasthan) very effici~ He spearheaded Goa''s defence in the 1972 National held in
and donned the India colours in the 1973 Merdeka toum He joined Central Railways, Mumbai in 1974. Nationals:l (Cuttack), 1968 (Bangalore), 1969 (Nowgong), 1970 (Jalan and 1972 (Goa).
ANTHONY REBELLO
The robust sTOPper also had a thirst for goals and some goals for Salgaocar in the First Division league and major tournaments in the country. A goal by Anthony Re~ helped Salgaocar beat Punjab Police in the final of the N Cup tournament at Hyderabad in 1985. Anthony invariably made a good appearance against the leading Calcutta teams. He scored Salgaocar''s match-winner in the Bardoloi semi-final against East Bengal in 1985. He assisted Goa in the Nationals at Calcutta and Madras and donned the India colours at Seoul in 1982.
He had the fortune of leading Salgaocar Sports Club when it won the Federation Cup tournament at Delhi in 1988. The tall central defender marshalled Salgabcar''s defence admirably and contributed significantly to their success. Norbert represented Goa in the 1983 Nationals at Calcutta, Quilon (1988) and Guwahati (1989). He was included in the India team for the 1989 Nehru Gold Cup tournament held in Goa.
OSCAR REBELLO
Pint-sized Oscar was a brilliant defender for Salgaocar Sports Club. While Anthony Rebello played a robust game Oscar endeared himself to the crowds with his soccer artistry and remarkable clearances. He covered for Anthony well when the latter surged forward. Oscar stood out for Salgaocar in the 1980 Federation Cup tournament at Calicut, where they lost the double¬leg semi-final to Mafatlal, 1-2, after leading by a goal in the first leg. He came close to being selected for the National side. illness brought a premature end to the career of this fine player in 1983. His National innings: 1978 (Srinagar), 1979 (Coimbatore) and 1980 (Cuttack).
Mapusa Youth club had a very promising defender in Nicholas in 1965. Lanky Nicholas had an ideal build for a footballer. Later he excelled as the right back for Sesa and donned the India colours in the Merdeka tournament, when he was the Sesa captain in 1973. He marked his debut in international football on a sensational note, securing India''s match-winner in the opening fixture against South Vietnam. He went on to play for the country for a number of years. Goa made its maiden appearance in the final of the National Championship at Srinagar in 1978, when he was captain and finished as runner-up to Bengal. Nichola~ also led Goa in the 1979 National at Coimbatore. As captain, he scored Dempo''s match winner in the 1978 Nizam Gold Cup final at Hyderabad. Nicholas was a member of the Goa team that shared the Santosh trophy with Bengal in 1983 at Calcutta and was also in the team that won the Santosh trophy in 1984 at Madras. Brahmanand had tremendous faith in him.
SUHASWALKE
The sTOPper from Mapusa Youth joined Vasco Sports Club in 1970 and was included in the India team for the Asian Youth Championship. He played well for Vasco alongside George Ambrose. Later, he donned colours for Orkay Mills.
DERRICK PEREIRA
His talent came to the fore when he led Goa to victory in the 1980 Junior National Championship at Ernakulam beating Kerala, 8-2, in the final. Derrick undoubtedly is one of the best defenders that Goa has produced. He netted Salgaocar''s equaliser in the semi-final of the 1985 Federation Cup tournament at Bangalore when he was brought in as a substitute in the last two minutes of the game but Salgaocar went down in the tie-breaker. He rejoined Salgaocar after donning colours for Tata Sports Club. Derrick led Salgaocar in the 1990 Rovers Cup tournament which they won by defeating Dempo in the final. He has also played for India. He was always calm in defence. Derrick played in the Nationals since 1984 and captained Goa for the 1989 Nationals at Guwahati.
VASUDEV CHODANKAR
It was with Panvel Sports Club that Vassu developed into a good defender. He fared well for Panvel during the 1974-75 season and was with Salgaocar in 1975-76. Vassujoined Sesa in 1976¬1977 and made his first appearance for Goa in the Calcutta National in 1977. He also played in the 1983 National at Calcutta when Goa shared the Santosh trophy with Bengal. He had a good career with Sesa and thereafter played for Mahindras, Bombay. Vassu had also played for Goa in the Junior National at Coimbatorein 1974.
MAHESH LOTLIKER
The formidable Dempo sTOPper was included in the Indian team for the pre-Olympics in 1983. He played regularly for Goa in the Nationals since 1980 and captained the team at Jabalpur in 1986. Mahesh made a name for himself while playing for MPT and his performance against the leading teams was highly impressive. Dempo benefited a lot from his services. Mahesh scored a goal for Goa in the 1983 National at Calcutta, where Goa registered a 5-0 win over Sikkim. He scored Dempo''s match winner against MPT in the quarter-final of the 1986 Bandodkar Gold trophy tournament and also found the net in the Scissor''s Cup final against IT! which Dempo won 2-1. Mahesh began his career with Vasco Sports Club under Peter Thangaraj.
CUSTODIO ALMEIDA
Dempo''s hard working left back represented Goa four times in the nationals. He was a member of the Goa team that shared the Santosh trophy with Bengal in 1983 at Calcutta. Custodio came into the limelight with Don Bosco Oratory.
DAVID D''SOUZA
After making a fine showing for MPT, David excelled as a sTOPper for Vasco Sports Club. He donned Dempo colours since then and also represented Goa in the Nationals.
DAMODAR KERKAR
The reliable defender played for Sesa Goa and Salgaocar. He donned the Goa colours in the 1984 National at Madras where Goa defeated Punjab in the final.
The MRF sTOPper had performed extremely well for Salgaocar when it won the 1988 Federation Cup at Delhi. He made his debut in the Nationals at Jabalpur in 1985 and retained his place in the Goa team for the Nationals at Calcutta in 1986 at Quilon (1987) and at Guwahati (1988). He had the ability to remain calm under pressure.
The lanky and soft-spoken stopper-back shot to fame when he led Salgaocar Sports Club to the top of the pedestal in the 3rd edition of the National Football League in 1998-99.
Unbeatable in the air, Robert along with Francis Coelho, another international defender formed a formidable defence that many a witty forward found tough to break. Robert has been a regular in the State team and has also been part of the India squad that won the inaugural South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup, at Kathmandu, in 1997 and the second edition at home, in Goa, in 1999. Robert also represented India at the Pre¬World Cup qualifiers, Qatar (1996), Nehru Gold Cup, Kochi (1996), Asian Games, Bangkok (1998), SAFF Games, Kathmandu, (1999) and Asia Cup, Abu Dhabi (1999).
FRANKY BARETTO
This defender surprised football afficianados in the State when he packed his bags to Calcutta and joined glamour team, East Bengal, thus becoming the third Goan to play Professional football in Calcutta after Francis D''Souza and Machado. Franky tasted limited success in Calcutta and was at pains to see East Bengal finishing second, behind Salgaocar Sports Club in the National Football League 1999-2000. Franky returned to Salgaocar after a years honeymoon with East Bengal and the Goan outfit went on to emerge champions in the Rovers Cup, Rurand Cup and the Super Cup. Franky has travelled with the India team for the Nehru Gold Cup, Kochi (1997), SAFF Cup, Kathmandu, Nepal (1997) and Asian Games, Bangkok (1998). Franky started his career with Vasco Sports Club in 1993.
