Q&A with former Goa and India captain and winner of the Arjuna Award
- If you weren’ta footballer..
People know me because I’m a footballer. IfI was not a footballer, I don’t know what I’d be doing in life. As a kid, I wasgood at various sports like hockey, athletics, kho-kho, etc. I guess I’d bedoing something in sports but it’s really difficult to say what I would be.
- How didyou journey into professional football begin
I was selected for an under-19 footballcamp in Patiala. There, I was selected for the Indian team. I also used to playfor my village team, Calangute. Since then, there has been no looking back. Itruly enjoy the sport.
Mostmemorable moment in your life :
Oh there are many! In 1991, I was made thecaptain of the Indian team. In 1997, we won the Federation Cup in Kolkata bydefeating East Bengal 2-1, where I scored both the goals. In my private lifealso I’ve had some really memorable moments. One of them was when I married mygirlfriend Nina in 2001.
Who doesBruno Coutinho look up to?
I look up to my parents. They put me in aboarding school where I learnt to live on my own. As far as football isconcerned, my first coach, Salvador Fernandes (Salu) was the inspiration behind my shooting skills. I can shootwith both my feet, all thanks to him.
What kindof movies do you like to watch?
I love watching action flicks by ArnoldSchwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Lee, etc.
What doyou like to do in your spare time?
After a hectic day at work, you seldom get timeto spare. But on weekends, I make it a point to skip any events and just spendtime with my family. Sometimes I take my son out fishing.
The mostbeautiful part of the world you have travelled to :
I like Lebanon. I have been to lot of placeswhen playing with the Indian team. I have seen Iraq during the war. The peoplethere are really friendly. I also like Tanzania and Sri Lanka.
Tell ussomething not many people know about you.
Contrary to what most people think, I am ahumble person. I love making friends provided that person gives me anopportunity to be friends with him or her.
