“Give me 10 Brunos and I will take India to the World Cup,” is an iconic statement made by former Indian National coach Rustom Akramov in 1995.
This was the stature of Goan football once upon a time.
In recent times, Goan players may not be shining much on the Indian football arena, but those years Goa produced tons of gifted footballers which enabled us to compete with the giants from Kolkata, Punjab, Kerala and the world.
As far as legendary footballers from Goa are concerned, Bruno Coutinho is a name which is right up there.
BRUNO – MOST FAMOUS FOOTBALLER
One of the most famous footballers, Bruno was born on 6th October 1969 in Calangute, one of the liveliest places of Goa at the moment.
One could say that his first love was hockey. He was also an excellent athlete and was passionate about Kho-Kho as well.
During the School Nationals, Bruno had represented Goa in three sports – football, hockey and Kho-kho.
As a 14-year-old at Monte de Guirim school, Bruno was spotted by coach Paul Raj and further honed his striking skills under Salvador Fernandes.
He scored a hattrick in his first game when he went on to win the U-17 Subroto Mukherjee Football tournament with his school.
REPRESENTING INDIA
Bruno breathes football and has had a picturesque career.
The legend is one of the Goan players who has played for Team India for several years, and in different positions including centre-back.
Bruno first represented India at the age of 18 at the Asian School Games held in Brunei in 1987.
Later, he made his senior international debut at the President’s World Cup in Dhaka in 1989.
He captained India at the 1995 SAF Games (South Asian Games) in Chennai and the 1996 Asia Cup in Malaysia. He scored in the semifinal and final to lead the country to victory in the SAFF (South Asian Football Federation) championships at Fatorda in 1999. It was also the last time he captained the national team.
He also captained the Indian U-23 side at the Pre-Olympics qualifiers in 1991.
Bruno last represented the country in the Millennium Cup in Kochi in 2001 - the year he won the ‘Arjuna Award’ – second highest award in Indian sports.
BRUNO – FOR GOA & SALGAOCARS
At the state level, Bruno represented Goa more than 10 times in the once prestigious Santosh Trophy and was adjudged the ‘Player of the Tournament’ in 1999. This led to the state government awarding him with the Bakshi Bahaddar Jivabadada Kerkar Award for his contribution to the sport.
He had first joined Dempo Engg in 1988 and then Salgaocar in 1989.
During his time at Salgaocar, he helped the team win the Federation Cup (1988, 1989, and 1997), Rovers Cup (1989, 1996), Taca Goa title (1989), Bandodkar Gold Trophy (1994) and the National Football League title (1998).
THE MOMENT WHEN BRUNO SILENCED KOLKATTA
The 1997 Federation Cup will always remain a special occasion for Bruno.
A year after he was recognized as the AIFF (All India Football Federation) ‘Player of the Year’, Bruno scored twice including a golden goal off a pass from Savio Medeira in the 2-1 victory over East Bengal.
The feat, at a full-house Salt Lake stadium of 120,000 spectators, prompted the Goan to come up with the infamous finger on lips celebration. The match remains a magical game in the history of Indian football.
BRUNO’S LIFE
Bruno retired from football in July 2004. However, he continues to dazzle occasionally at Veterans football games all across Goa, and other parts of India.
After football, he became the Director of coaching at the Sports Authority of Goa (SAG). He travelled extensively to Dubai, Kuwait and the Middle East. He also represented the Indian beach football team in 2007.
With long curly hair, fierce techniques, amazing goals, whoever watched him play fell in love with him and his goals. His goals were a feast to watch.
As a player who played alongside Bruno, I have seen Bruno led by example. He was clever and had a wonderful knack of handling pressure situations – most of all he had ‘bazookas’ in both his feet.
Soft-spoken, fun loving, he never retaliated or instigated opponents. It was a pleasure brushing shoulders with the legend.
Happy Birthday ‘Brun’ (as I call him), God bless you brother.