The Man who Brought Glory to Indian Football

“When you faced him inside the box, you couldn’t do a thing. You felt as if you were mesmerised and he would beat you with the simplest of shots.” - Former India Goalkeeper Peter Thangaraj on Neville D’Souza.

Neville - The Football Prodigy; Image Source: Public Domain

The 1950s marked the ‘Golden Age of Indian Football’. India used to play football in the Olympics back then and its success can only be accredited to one man - Neville D’Souza, who also happens to be the only Indian to have scored a hat trick in the Olympics football event.

But, Neville was not always a football person. Growing up, he used to play hockey for the St. Xavier’s High School team followed by the same game for St. Xavier’s College’s team as well.

He was recognized for his talent and the Tata’s picked him to play hockey for them. Not only did he mesmerise the crowd with his brilliant goal-scoring skills, he lifted the Beighton Cup at Kolkata and also went on the East Africa tour representing the Tata’s. On top of all this, he represented Bombay in the National Hockey League in 1955.

Neville felt that hockey was his sole inclination until he started playing football. Drawn towards the game like an iron nail is to a magnet, he made a permanent career switch to football.

His football career got a jump start when he began playing football for the Mumbai-based Goan Sports Club. The Tata’s were well aware of his talent and did not want such a skilled soul to dissociate from them just because he stopped playing hockey. The year after that, Neville was invited by Tata’s to play for the best club in Mumbai in that era, the Caltex Sports Club. This way, Neville eventually made it to the Indian National Football Team.

The first time he scored a goal was very memorable. This is simply because it happened in a match against Pakistan during the 1953 Colombo Cup, but everything about it was legendary. Over time, Indian Football began winning several other titles, thanks to the accreditable partnership of Neville D’Souza and PK Banerjee.

Eventually, the Indian Football players did better with each game and were all set to make a mark at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. However, the team was faced off with their strong opponent , Australia. With the support of fans at home, Australia knew very well that India would never stand a chance against them.

Neville D’Souza came to the rescue of India’s reputation. With the series of hat tricks he scored every match, India made it to the semi-finals with a comfortable margin. The first-half of the semi-finals match put India in the lead. However, towards the end, Neville pushed to score but despite his attempt to chip the ball from a distance, the keeper was highly successful in saving the goal. India placed 4th in the Olympics that year.

Neville D’Souza’s efforts brought India much glory in the sport of football and almost an Olympic medal as well. In 1963, he retired from the sport and took up coaching as a member of the selection panel of the All India Football Federation.

Despite his achievements, Neville hasn’t received the fame he deserved. Aged 47, he succumbed to a brain haemorrhage - this was a day of great loss to not just the Indian football community but the entire country.

Today, he’d have turned 89 years old. A man who never backed down from trying a new sport, that is Neville D’Souza for you!