Fortunato Franco

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

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

Franco played club football with Western Railways, Tata, Maharashtra and Salgaocar.

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.

He captained Maharashtra for eight seasons and won the 1964 Santosh Trophy with them.

He retired before the age of 30 due to a knee injury.

He also played at the Merdeka Cup in 1964 (winning silver) and 1965 (winning bronze).

In total he earned 26 caps with the national team before retiring in 1965, following his debut in 1960.

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.

He died on 10 May 2021, aged 84, leaving behind a wife and two children.

India