Forgotten Heroes- Where are they now?

There’s an old adage which says “Like a tree, each one of us must find a place to grow in this world”. Out of the many careers which are on offer, some of us became footballers out of sheer love of the game. After liberation of Goa from the Portuguese, Goans took to football just as fish takes to water. Some of the players were lucky to get jobs in the companies of the clubs for whom they played viz the Dempo, Sesa Goa, Salgaocar etc whereas others not so lucky had to migrate to Bombay and some went overseas- mainly the Gulf.

Footballers are normally pampered, adored, and treated like stars during their prime but once over the hill they are quickly forgotten because a footballer has a shelf life and we all know that there is no value for things after the expiry date. When I joined Dempo SC in 1985, I would often hear the wise senior players comparing a footballer to a prostitute, saying “Prostitutes are in demand only when they are young and good looking”. How very true specially in the case of those players who played from the sixties to eighties, the first three decades after liberation. They gave so much to the game but got nothing much in return.

How do we former players want football aficionados to remember us? Its great to see some of our teammates still serving the game very successfully as coaches, managers and administrators. There are others who are away from the limelight and are mostly forgotten. Let’s make an effort to bring everyone together, go down memory lane, cherish those golden moments, aid those in need of financial assistance in whatever way we can and train the youth, thus giving something back to the game, what the game has given us.

Join- Goa Veterans Football Club.

By,

Lector Mascarenhas,

Secretary, GVFC