Levino Dias Goa's most successful youth development coach

 

Levino Dias Goa's most successful youth development coach

 

Levino Dias is one of the Goa's most successful youth development coach till date. Sadly, others who had taken over from him have not been able to come to a sniffing close to the record and have seldom won the title for Goa in the sub-juniors.

HUMBLE, AGGRESSIVE and attentive to detail is one of the virtues that one would associate with the Goa's most successful youth development coach till date, Levino Dias. Three winners' titles, an equal number of runners-up and another two third place finishes in the sub junior championship speaks volume of the man who made Goa a force to reckon with on the football field in the sub-juniors.

Sadly, with the transition of time, others who had taken over from him have not been able to come to a sniffing close to the record and have seldom won the title for Goa in the sub-juniors. The blame game of lack of success revolves from cheating and fielding of overage players to substandard facilities provided for Goan players taking part in tournament in other states

The diminutive south Goa based coach, hailing from Cuncolim village, started his journey into football as angry young man in the mid field and with a tradition of having elder brothers addicted and infected with soccer bug it was, but natural that the young one would follow in their footsteps.

The football journey first flowered not in the rice fields of Cuncolim, but far way in Karnataka, Belgaum district where he was studying. There was no looking back. Holidays were the occasion he longed for to display his wares before his friends’ relatives and admirers in Goa. The admirers who have grown with every passing game in his village.

The young talent passed into the hands of Late Father Chico or Pri Chico, as he was fondly called by his students and it was Academica that the stellar influence of Pri Chico molded Levino further as a footballer.

The experience was worth it for Levino, as he also carried a lot of positive things from Father Chico, which he still fondly recollects as if it was yesterday that the worlds of Fr Chico rang in his ears. He tries to pass on the game finer points to young kids and grownups.

From Academica to Panvel Sports Club, where he was one of the seniors who took the legendary goalkeeper Brahmanand Shanwalkar, who went to captain the Indian squad, under his wings.

Levino during his playing days formed a terrific pair along with Joao D'Mello and the two were formidable partnership.