145;Junior in a nut shell: He was good146;

For every goal struck and every success met, Cristiano di Lima Junior owed it all to God. In fact, he had once said, 8216;8216;believe in ...

For every goal struck and every success met, Cristiano di Lima Junior owed it all to God. In fact, he had once said, 8216;8216;believe in the Almighty and the rest will fall in place.8217;8217; Till today 8212; when he scored those decisive goals in the Fed Cup final 8212; everything had fallen in place.

Blessed with that natural Brazilian flair, Junior never missed a scoring opportunity. His amazing goal tally amply proved this. During his Indian sojourn 8212; since he made his debut for East Bengal in 2003 8212; Junior never went goalless for more than a game.

He landed in Kolkata, when his friend at East Bengal Douglas Da Silva recommended his name to the club. But the initial reports were not encouraging. Many dismissed him as an average player, but coach Subash Bhowmick saw the hunger in him.

Junior did not disappoint. Signed mid-way through the season, the lanky clean-shaven striker rewrote records netting seven goals in as many games for East Bengal. Suddenly opinions changed and Junior was hailed as the 8216;Next Big Thing8217; in Kolkata. For once, Indian icon Bhaichung Bhutia had a competitor, but neverthless Junior always maintained that Bhutia was 8216;8216;equally good8217;8217;.

It was this compatability between the two strikers that helped East Bengal win many battles. Bhowmick called it the 8216;8216;twin strike force8217;8217; or 8216;8216;the lethal pair8217;8217;, whenever one asked him about his forwardline. But it couldn8217;t last long as Junior was soon to part ways 8212; with Bhutia, with East Bengal and with Kolkata.

The silent and non-controversial performer with his limited English vocabulary seemed drawn to Goa. Close player-friends say that the deeply religious Junior, who was always facinated by churches, was more comfortable with the Portuguese-speaking players. This in some way explains his switch to Dempo. Bhutia could never understand the logic and said that 8216;8216;releasing Junior was a big mistake committed by East Bengal8217;8217;. He stood vindicated when Dempo beat East Bengal 2-0 in the Fed Cup semifinals. Asked about his late friend today Bhutia could barely speak, he just managed this: 8216;8216;He was good and that8217;s Junior in a nut-shell8217;8217;.

His former teammate at Dempo Alvita D8217;Cunha too was deeply moved. 8216;8216;Junior was an inspiration. His presence made one to perform 8230; if not on par with him but at least to think about matching him.8217;8217;