Julian Camino - the Indian connection to FIFA World Cup finalists Argentina
Argentina, who had edged over Netherlands following a 4-2 win on penalties in the semi-finals, fight for their chance to win the World Cup on Sunday against Germany at the Estádio Maracanã.
The team’s success in this edition of the World Cup will definitely be credited to the brilliant string of performances from Argentine players Lionel Messi, Angel di Maria, Javier Mascherano among others, and also to the management team including head coach Alejandro Sabella and assistant manager Julian Camino.
Now, where does India come into this scene?
Well, did you know that Julian Camino, Argentina’s assistant manager is formerly an East Bengal player, and had sported the red and gold shirt back in 1988.
Camino, who was recruited by Sabella in 2011 as his right-hand man, was signed by Kingfisher East Bengal in 1988 to feature in the Durand Cup.
“We bought him. But his wages were very high,” said Suprakash Gargar, who was East Bengal's football secretary during that period. "We couldn't afford the amount through the season. After the Durand Cup, we had to let go of him due to financial constraints.”
Talking to the Guardian, East Bengal general manager Swapan Ball spoke about Camino’s stint with the Kolkata-based side. He said, “A couple of years later we were looking for a footballer who could operate both in defence as well as in the midfield. We felt Camino would be a good fit and contacted his agent Carlos Fraga.”
Camino, then 27-year-old then was handed over the number 2 shirt, and his appearance in East Bengal’s match against arch-rivals Mohun Bagan drew a record number of 120,000 spectators.
“Camino had conjured up a terrific pass down the right to Chima Okorie in the fifth minute. I still remember that lovely through ball. Had Chima scored that sitter we would have won,” Ball recalled the match 26 years later.
One of his old teammates Kartick Sett reminisced about his days with Camino, “He used to pronounce my name with a heavy Spanish accent, ‘Kyaaartik’!”
Sett was one of the few players at that time who spoke a little bit of Spanish, and he gradually established a strong friendship with Camino, with the club officials claiming that Sett’s scooter was the Argentine’s favourite mean of transport in Kolkata back then, and that the two would always go to training together.
“It feels great to know that the man I had taken around Calcutta on my scooter for so many days is now deciding the on-field strategy for the best footballers in the world,” Sett told Guardian.