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Glory Corner / Bruno Coutinho

Q&A with former Goa and India captain and winner of the Arjuna Award

Glory Corner / Bruno Coutinho

-         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.

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Sparks off the TT bat

Urmila Mense, ranked third in India in the under-12 category of table tennis, is an inspiration of game and grit

Joyce Dias / The Goan
Published Aug 4, 2012, 1:00 PM IST
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Sparks off the TT bat

It is a displayof passionate table tennis as 11-year-old Urmila Mense practices in the indoortable tennis stadium at the Sports Authority of Goa (SAG). Determination andfocus are wrought on her face.Urmila was amongthe top eight in the National Championship quarterfinals, in the under-12category. In June 2012, she received a national ranking of third in India, inthe under-12 category. She ranks number one in the State.“When Urmila wasseven, I began taking her to the gym…

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