Brahmanand Sankhwalkar
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Brahmanand Sagoon Kamat Sankhwalkar (born 6 March 1954) is a former
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
and a captain of the Indian team from 1983 to 1986, who played as a
goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...
. Considered one of India's best goalkeepers, he had 25-year playing career. He played for Panvel Sports Club, Salgaocar,
Churchill Brothers Churchill Brothers FC Goa, or simply known as Churchill Brothers, is an Indian professional football club based in Margao, Goa, that competes in the I-League, alongside Goa Professional League. Founded in 1988 in Margao, the club usually part ...
, Anderson Mariners at the club level, that included 17 years with Salgaocar, and for Goa state team in the
Santosh Trophy The Santosh Trophy, officially known as Hero Senior Men's National Football Championship due to sponsorship ties with Hero MotoCorp, is a state-level football competition contested by the state associations and government institutions under ...
. Playing for Goa, he led the team to two consecutive wins at the Santosh Trophy; in 1983 and 1984. Having maintained a clean sheet of 576 minutes in the 1984 tournament, he holds the Indian record. The
All India Football Federation The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is the national governing body of football in India. It is a member of FIFA, the international governing body of football and affiliated to Asian Football Confederation. It is affiliated to Ministry o ...
named him the player of the decade, for the 1985–1995 decade. Recognizing his contribution to Indian football, he was awarded the
Arjuna Award The Arjuna Award, officially known as Arjuna Awards for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games, is the second-highest sporting honour of India, the highest being the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The award is named after Arjuna, one ...
by the
government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
in 1997.


Childhood and early career

Sankhwalkar was born on 6 March 1954, in
Taleigão Taleigão, or Platô de Taleigão, is a neighborhood located in the southern part of the city of Panaji, the capital of the Indian state of Goa. It is entirely located on the island of Tiswadi, which is one of the talukas in the state of Goa. Th ...
. He inherited the love for football at a young age from his father Seguna Sankhwalkar and their family doctor Alvaro Pinto, with the latter telling Sankhwalkar stories about famous goalkeepers and showing him the basic football techniques. He played as
forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...
during his school days. His elder brother Vallabh, a footballer played at the local Panvel Sports Club.


Panvel Sports Club

Sankhwalkar began his career in professional football in 1971. When he began playing for the Panvel Sports Club when an official asked his brother, who was playing with the same club at the time, for a makeshift goalkeeper, in the absence of their regular goalkeepers. Two weeks later, he was signed by the club. He made his debut against Goa Shipyard, with his team winning the match 6–3. In 1974, as a 21-year-old, he captained the team to its first Bandodkar Gold Trophy win, beating SESA Goa 2–0 in the final.


Club career


Salgaocar

Following the race to sign him by
Dempo Dempo Mining Corporation Limited is a prominent mining company from the western Indian state of Goa. The mineral business was founded by Mr. Vasantrao S. Dempo in 1941 along with his younger brother Mr. Vaikuntrao Dempo. Mr. Vasantrao S. Demp ...
in the 1973–74 season, he was eventually signed by Salgaocar in 1974, at the Goan First Division League. Sankhwalkar won his first league in his first season with the club in 1974–75. He was made the captain of the team in 1975 and led the team for three consecutive seasons since. With Sankhwalkar in his prime, the team won the league in the renamed Goan Super League, in 1977. Former footballer T. Shanmugam arrived at Salgaocar as coach in 1979, which turned to be a turning point in his career. Between 1981 and 1985, Salgaocar won the league four times, with Sankhwalkar reaching his peak during the time and also became a regular member in the national squad. The team also won the
Bandodkar Gold Trophy The Bandodkar Gold Trophy, was an annual Indian football tournament held in Goa and organized by Goa Football Association. The tournament was first started in 1970 and to showcase the Goans' capabilities to organise an All-India football tourname ...
in 1983, Nehru Gold Cup in 1984 and finished second at the
Rovers Cup The Rovers Cup was an annual football tournament held in India, organized by the Western India Football Association. It was the second oldest tournament in India after Durand Cup. History Rovers Cup was incorporated by some British football e ...
in 1985. Salgaocar broke into the national scene in the second half of the 1980s winning many trophies. It reached the final of the
Federation Cup Federation Cup or Fed Cup is the former name of the premier world team competition in women's tennis. Federation Cup may also refer to: * Capital Football Federation Cup, an Australian territory-based association football tournament *Federation Cup ...
in 1987, eventually losing 0–2 to
Mohun Bagan Mohun Bagan Athletic Club is an Indian professional sports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1889, its football section is one of the oldest in India and Asia. The club is most notable for its victory over East Yorkshire Regiment ...
. In the process, it became the first Goan club to reach the finals of a Federation Cup. The following year, the team won the Sait Nagjee Trophy beating Mohammedan S.C. in the final. The team achieved a hat-trick of Federation Cup finals in 1989, and in the year became the first team outside Bengal to defend the title, following their 1988 win. Sankhwalkar kept clean sheets in back to back finals. In 1989, it reached the final of the Cup for a fourth consecutive time, losing to the Kerala Police team in the final. In the 1989–90, Salgaocar won its first Rovers Cup, beating Dempo in the final. His career with Salgaocar ended in 1991, following which he signed with
Churchill Brothers Churchill Brothers FC Goa, or simply known as Churchill Brothers, is an Indian professional football club based in Margao, Goa, that competes in the I-League, alongside Goa Professional League. Founded in 1988 in Margao, the club usually part ...
, another Goan club.


Goa

Following his impressive performances with the Panvel Sports Club, Sankhwalkar was picked to play for the Goa state team in the Jalandhar nationals of 1973-74. He was appreciated for not conceding a goal against
Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
, who then went on to win the final against
Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
6-0. With the team, he reached his first Santosh Trophy final in 1979, when Goa lost to
Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
0–1. Under his captaincy, Goa reached the final again in 1983, to face Bengal. Following to non-scoring draw games, they were declared joint winners. The following year, Goa was grouped with
Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
,
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
and
Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
. Winning two out of three group matches, Goa finished as group toppers. Facing
Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
in the semifinals, Goa won 6–0 on aggregate. They faced Punjab in the finals in
Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
(now Chennai), beating them 1–0, to win its first Santosh Trophy. Sankhwalkar finished the tournament without having conceded a single goal, and for 576 minutes, a record.


Stint at Churchill Brothers and retirement

After a career of 17 years with Salgaocar, Sankhwalkar was signed by
Churchill Brothers Churchill Brothers FC Goa, or simply known as Churchill Brothers, is an Indian professional football club based in Margao, Goa, that competes in the I-League, alongside Goa Professional League. Founded in 1988 in Margao, the club usually part ...
. Following a four-year stint with the club, he played for his village club, Anderson Mariners till 1995. He retired from professional football in 1995, after a 25-year career.


International career

Sankhwalkar was first picked in the national side in 1975, following his success at the club level. He played for the team at the
AFC Youth Championship The AFC U-20 Asian Cup, formerly known as the AFC Youth Championship and AFC U-19 Championship, is a biennial international association football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the men's under-20 national teams ...
in
Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
in that year and also the following year. He was a part of the team that participated at the Marah Alim Cup in
Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...
in 1976 and 1977, the Merdeka Cup in 1976, 1981, 1982 and 1986. He was also included in the squad that took part in the
King's Cup __NOTOC__ King's Cup (incl. translations), may refer to: Sports Football * Copa del Rey, Spanish for "King's Cup," the main national knockout tournament in men's football * King Cup (sometimes named King's Cup), Saudi Arabian men's football nati ...
in
Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...
in 1977, and the
President's Cup The Presidents Cup is a series of men's golf matches between a team representing the United States and an International Team representing the rest of the world minus Europe. Europe competes against the United States in a similar but considerably ...
in
Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
, in 1977 and 1982. Following India's successful Zambia Goodwill tour, he was given the nickname "Leopard". Following a few international tour games, he was made the captain at the
Nehru Cup The Nehru Cup was an international association football tournament organised by the All India Football Federation (AIFF), named after the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. It was launched in 1982, but was not held from 1998 to ...
in 1983 and led the team till 1986. Also, around the time, Sankhwalkar had to compete with
Bhaskar Ganguly Bhaskar Ganguly is a former Indian football goalkeeper from West Bengal. He was the captain of India national football team which participated in the 1982 Asian Games held in New Delhi. Ganguly is one of the few Indian players who went abroad, ...
for a place in the team. He was a part of the team that competed at the
1986 Asian Games The 1986 Asian Games ( ko, 1986년 아시아 경기대회/1986년 아시안 게임, Cheon gubaek palsip-yuk nyeon Asia gyeonggi daehoe/Cheon gubaek palsip-yuk nyeon Asian Geim), officially known as the 10th Asian Games and the X Asiad ( ko, 제10 ...
in Seoul, and also captained the team against the visiting Bochum XI side from
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, in 1986. He finished his international career with over 50 caps.


Later life

Following his career as a player, Sankhwalkar completed the AFC A, B & C license exams to qualify as a coach. He also earned his coaching diploma from Asian Coaching School in
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
under Deitmar Crammer and Bill Bingham. He served as the goalkeeping coach of
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
from 1997 to 2005. He then coached the Indian under-23 side. In 1997, he was awarded the
Arjuna Award The Arjuna Award, officially known as Arjuna Awards for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games, is the second-highest sporting honour of India, the highest being the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The award is named after Arjuna, one ...
by the
government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
recognizing his contribution to Indian football. In the process, he became the first Goan footballer to win the award.


Honours

Salgaocar * Goa First Division: 1974–75, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1988–89, 1990–91 *
Federation Cup Federation Cup or Fed Cup is the former name of the premier world team competition in women's tennis. Federation Cup may also refer to: * Capital Football Federation Cup, an Australian territory-based association football tournament *Federation Cup ...
: 1988, 1989; runner-up: 1987, 1990 *
Rovers Cup The Rovers Cup was an annual football tournament held in India, organized by the Western India Football Association. It was the second oldest tournament in India after Durand Cup. History Rovers Cup was incorporated by some British football e ...
: 1989–90; runner-up: 1985 *
Bordoloi Trophy The Bordoloi Trophy, also known as the Bharat Ratna Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi Trophy, is a premier annual Indian football tournament held in Guwahati and organized by Guwahati Sports Association (GSA). The tournament was first started in 1952 ...
runner-up: 1985 *
Sait Nagjee Football Tournament The Sait Nagjee All India Football Tournament is one of the most prestigious football Tournaments held in Kozhikode, Kerala, India. The tournament was very popular from the beginning & attracted large crowd since 1952. The tournament played until ...
: 1988; runner-up: 1985, 1989 *
Bandodkar Gold Trophy The Bandodkar Gold Trophy, was an annual Indian football tournament held in Goa and organized by Goa Football Association. The tournament was first started in 1970 and to showcase the Goans' capabilities to organise an All-India football tourname ...
: 1981, 1988, 1992; runner-up: 1970, 1979, 1982, 1984, 1990 *Puttiah Memorial Trophy: 1978; runner-up: 1977 Goa *
Santosh Trophy The Santosh Trophy, officially known as Hero Senior Men's National Football Championship due to sponsorship ties with Hero MotoCorp, is a state-level football competition contested by the state associations and government institutions under ...
: 1982–83, 1983–84 India *
King's Cup __NOTOC__ King's Cup (incl. translations), may refer to: Sports Football * Copa del Rey, Spanish for "King's Cup," the main national knockout tournament in men's football * King Cup (sometimes named King's Cup), Saudi Arabian men's football nati ...
third place:
1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
Individual *
Arjuna Award The Arjuna Award, officially known as Arjuna Awards for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games, is the second-highest sporting honour of India, the highest being the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The award is named after Arjuna, one ...
: 1997 *
Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
: 2022 *
AIFF Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF) is an audio file format standard used for storing sound data for personal computers and other electronic audio devices. The format was developed by Apple Inc. in 1988 based on Electronic Arts' Interchange File ...
Player of the Decade: 1985–95 * Featured in
Limca Book of Records The ''Limca Book of Records'' is an annual reference book published in India documenting world records held by Indians. The records are further categorized into education, literature, agriculture, medical science, business, sports, nature, advent ...
of 1993 edition for contributions to football


See also

* Goans in football *
List of India national football team captains This article lists all the captains of the India national football team. The first India captain in their maiden international tour was Gostha Pal, organised under the control of Indian Football Association (Bengal) before the formation of All ...
*
History of the India national football team The history of the India national football team dates back to the 1920s. They have never played in the World Cup although they qualified in 1950. They have had no entries in the tournament from 1950 onwards. India has never won the final of the A ...


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sankhwalkar, Brahmanand People from North Goa district Footballers from Goa Living people Indian footballers India international footballers 1984 AFC Asian Cup players Recipients of the Arjuna Award 1954 births Association football goalkeepers Footballers at the 1982 Asian Games Footballers at the 1986 Asian Games Asian Games competitors for India