Goans in football

This page is about Goan achievers in the world of sport. Goa is a tiny region along the west coast of India, and is known for its many athletes, in particular association football (soccer).

The first Goan to have played for India, representing Goa, is Menino Figuereido, who represented India on a goodwill tour of Russia in 1963. This tour is not considered an official tour and some say the first Goan to have represented India thus becomes Visitacao Lobo in 1970.^{[citation needed]}

Brahmanand Shankhwalkar,^[1] Bruno Coutinho, Mauricio Afonso, and Roberto Fernandez have captained the Indian senior national team.^{[citation needed]}

Seby Antao and Lawrence Gomes have captained the India national youth team.^{[citation needed]}

Long before 19 December 1961, the day Portuguese colonial rule ended in Goa, Goans had made a mark in Indian football. Many represented India by playing for Bombay and shining at the domestic level, thus earning international caps.

In the list below, names of Goans who have represented India in international matches are included, with the name of the domestic team in parentheses.

The following have represented Indian junior national teams in age-group tournaments but not represented the senior national team:^{[citation needed]}

The following have played for India schools only and not for any other junior national team:^{[citation needed]}

• Inacio Fernandes
• Michael Gomes
• Casmiro Palha
• Joaquim Palha
• Peter Santamaria-Woods

• Fernandes, C. (2021). Twilight of the Exiles. Fellowship of Australian Writers - New South Wales. ISBN 978-0-909497-40-8.
• Fernandes, Cyprian (1 June 2018). "Johnny Lobo: Living Kenya-Goan soccer legend". headlinesofmylife.today. Archived from the original on 12 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.

• Soccer, on Goans on the International Sporting Stage website