Brahmanand Sankhwalkar

Brahmanand Shankhwalkar is a former goalkeeper and captain of the Indian football team, regarded as one of the best goalkeepers India has produced. He was named for the Padma Shri in 2022 in the field of sports, from Goa ^[1].

Twenty-five years in goal

Shankhwalkar was born on 6 March 1954 in Taleigao, on the edge of Panaji ^[2]. His playing career ran from 1970 to 1995 ^[2]. He spent most of it, from 1974 to 1991, with Salgaocar Sports Club, winning all the top club trophies in Indian football, among them the Federation Cup, the Rovers Cup and the Nehru Memorial tournament ^[2]. He played for Goa a record 17 times in the Santosh Trophy, the national championship ^[2].

Captain of India

He captained India from 1983 to 1986 and made more than 70 appearances for the country ^[2]. He played at the 1982 Asian Games in Delhi and the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul, in the Merdeka Cup in Malaysia, the President’s Cup in South Korea, the Nehru Gold Cup and in Olympic and World Cup qualifiers ^[2].

He received the Arjuna Award in 1998, and the All India Football Federation named him player of the decade for 1985–95 ^[2]. The Goa government has put a lesson about him in a school textbook to encourage children to take up sport ^[2]. He has also worked as a coach and sports administrator ^[2].