Padma Shri Brahmanand Sagoon Kamat Sankhwalkar, former captain and coach of the Indian football team, is celebrated as one of India’s greatest goalkeepers. He has been honoured with the Arjuna Award (1997) and the Padma Shri (2022) for his outstanding contribution to Indian football. Sankhwalkar captained the national team from 1983 to 1986 and enjoyed a remarkable 25-year playing career, including 17 years with Salgaocar and stints at Churchill Brothers, Panvel SC, and Anderson Mariners. Representing Goa in the Santosh Trophy, he led the team to consecutive titles in 1983 and 1984, and holds the Indian national record for a 576-minute clean sheet in the 1984 Santosh Trophy. Named Player of the Decade (1985–1995) by the All-India Football Federation, he later earned his coaching diploma from the Asian Coaching School in Malaysia, training under Deitmar Crammer and Bill Bingham. Sankhwalkar served as India’s goalkeeping coach from 1997 to 2005 and also coached the Indian U-23 team, leaving a lasting legacy in Indian football.
