Former India footballer Marto Gracias passes away in Mumbai

The former striker shot to fame during the late sixties both for club and country..Former India International footballer Marto Gracias passed away in Mumbai on Sunday evening following a cardiac arrest. He was 75.The striker is best remembered for his performance in the 1967 Merdeka Cup in Kuala Lumpur, where he scored four goals. Drawn with the likes of Thailand, Western Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia and South

Vietnam, India finished third in the group but it was a hat-trick by Marto which remained the highlight of the tour. After scoring one in India's 3-1 win against Western Australia in the second match, which saw Inder Singh score a brace, the Goan striker was fired up for the tie against Hong Kong. He scored a hat-trick in the match, as the Blue Tigers notched up a comfortable 4-0 vicotry. It was the first triple, scored by an Indian player since India's 7-0 win against Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) in 1963, when Appalaraju had hit the back of the net thrice. Marto was a vital cog of the Tata SC team that had a fierce rivalry with fellow Mumbai side Mafatlal during the early seventies and had also represented Salgaocar. He had played both for Mumbai and Goa in the Santosh Trophy.

The funeral mass will be celebrated at Our Lady of Assumption Church, Kandivali (West) on Tuesday.