Neville D'Souza

Neville Steven Joseph D'Souza (3 August 1932 – 16 March 1980) was an Indian footballer who played as a striker. During the "golden era of Indian football" under legendary coach Syed Abdul Rahim, he was recognised one of the finest strikers of India national team having perfect eye for goal. He appeared in the 1956 Summer Olympics, and finished the campaign as joint top scorer of the tournament with four goals, inducing a hat-trick in the quarterfinals against the hosts Australia.

D'Souza was also a field hockey player, having represented various teams in both domestic and international tournaments.

Hockey career
In his playing career, D'Souza choose field hockey first and represented the teams of both St. Xavier's High School and St. Xavier's College of Bombay. He later moved to Tata Sports Club and appeared in prestigious Beighton Cup, and won 1953 and 1954 editions in Calcutta. With the club, D'Souza toured to East Africa in 1952 and scored 34 goals in 17 matches. He then represented Bombay state hockey team in National Hockey Championship between 1953 and 1955.

Club career
D'Souza began his club football career in Goan SC, before moving to Tata SC. In 1958, the club clinched Nadkarni Cup title. In the same year, he joined Hardwood League side Caltex SC. With the Bombay-based club, he played alongside noted Goan footballer Catao Fernandes. The club had honor of becoming the first local team in 1958 to win Rovers Cup, one of the oldest football tournament in the world, in which he was part of the team led by Anthony. In that final, they defeated renowned Mohammedan Sporting 3–2.

Beside Caltex, D'Souza also appeared with both Tata and Goan Sports Club.

International career
D'Souza played club football for Bombay. In the 1953 Quadrangular Tournament in Rangoon, he scored the winner for India against arch-rival Pakistan. They also won the tournament in 1954 and 1955.

He represented his nation at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, and reached the semi-finals, before going down 1–4 to Yugoslavia, which is still considered India's greatest ever achievement in football. Under the coaching of Syed Abdul Rahim, D'Souza played alongside J. Krishnaswamy, Samar Banerjee, P. K. Banerjee, and achieved fame worldwide. He became the first Asian player to score a hat-trick in an Olympic Games. D'Souza finished the tournament as joint top-scorer, with 4 goals in 3 games, including a hat-trick in a 4–2 win against Australia. Between 1956 and 1962, D'Souza scored eleven goals for India.

Post-playing career
As a player, D'Souza retired in 1963 and began his coaching career. He later became a member of the selection panel of All India Football Federation (AIFF).

Personal life
D'Souza was born in Assagao, Goa, on 3 August 1932. He moved to Bombay (now known as Mumbai) to complete studies. He married Lyra and they had a son named Nigel and two daughters, Liesel and Fleurel. Neville's brother Dereyk D'Souza was also a footballer, who represented India internationally and later managed NFL club Mahindra United.

D'Souza died of a brain haemorrhage on 16 March 1980, in Bombay.

Legacy
Whenever I think about Indian football, his name comes to my mind. After we won, I remember the Australians calling our victory a "fluke" and demanding a rematch at Sydney after the Games ended. They were so stunned at the Olympic loss despite the home advantage that they were adamant about playing us again. We won the re-match with Neville scoring twice. Television was not around when Neville was playing for India at the Olympics and nor was video recordings possible, so people have no way of knowing how good he was in the goalmouth. The Mumbai Football Association began organizing U-17 Neville D'Souza Trophy for teenagers from seventeen districts in Maharashtra, which is named after him.

In 2018, Neville D'Souza Football Turf (also known as 'Neville D'Souza Ground')  was installed within the sports complex in Bandra, which is named after him, and it was inaugurated by Aaditya Thackeray, then chairman of the Mumbai District Football Association (MDFA).

Hockey
Tata Sports Club
 * Beighton Cup: 1953, 1954

Football
India
 * Colombo Cup: 1953, 1954, 1955

Caltex
 * Rovers Cup: 1958

Bombay
 * Santosh Trophy runner-up: 1958–59

Individual
 * Summer Olympics top scorer: 1956

Accolades
 * Independence Day Award by the Government of Goa: 1990