Fortunato Franco

Fortunato Franco (1937 – 10 May 2021) was an Indian international footballer who played as a half back.[1]

Fortunato Franco
Personal information
Date of birth 1937
Place of birth Colvale, Portuguese India
Date of death 10 May 2021 (aged 84)
Place of death Goa, India
Position(s) Half back
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Western Railways
Tata
1959–1966 Maharashtra
Salgaocar
National team
1960–1965 India 26
Honours
Men's football
Representing  India
Asian Games
1962 JakartaTeam
AFC Asian Cup
Runner-up1964 IsraelTeam
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Early and personal life

Franco was born in 1937 in Colvale in Goa, Portuguese India, moving to Mumbai at the age of six.[2]

Club career

Franco played club football with Western Railways, Tata, Maharashtra and Salgaocar.[2][3] He captained Maharashtra for eight seasons and won the 1964 Santosh Trophy with them.[3] He retired before the age of 30 due to a knee injury.[3]

International career

Franco was part of the India national team which appeared at the 1960 Olympics, although he did not appear at the tournament, and he won gold with India at the 1962 Asian Games.[3][4] He also played at the Merdeka Cup in 1964 (winning silver) and 1965 (winning bronze).[3][5] In total he earned 26 caps with the national team before retiring in 1965,[3] following his debut in 1960.[2]

Later life and death

After retiring from football in 1966, he worked for Tata Group as a senior manager in public relations, before retiring in 1999 and moving back to Goa.[2] He died on 10 May 2021, aged 84,[2] leaving behind a wife and two children.[3][5]

Honours

India[3]

Gold medal: 1962
Runners-up: 1964[6]

References
  1. "Fortunato Franco". Olympedia. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  2. "Indian Football: Former Olympian Fortunato Franco passes away | Goal.com". www.goal.com.
  3. Scroll Staff. "Football: Fortunato Franco, member of gold-medal-winning Indian team at 1962 Asian Games, dies at 84". Scroll.in.
  4. Subrahmanyam, V. V. "Fortunato Franco was one of the finest midfielders, says S. A. Hakim". Sportstar.
  5. "Former Asiad gold medallist footballer Fortunato Franco dead | Football News - Times of India". The Times of India.
  6. Chaudhuri, Arunava. "The Indian Senior Team at the 1964 Tel Aviv Asia Cup". Indianfootball.de. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
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