Former Indian football captain Carlton Chapman passes away at 49

Carlton Chapman was a midfielder for India, who played between 1991 to 2001. He played for five football clubs, including TATA Football Academy and East Bengal. He had also played for Karnataka, Punjab and West Bengal, in the Santosh Trophy. He later managed seven clubs, including TFA.

Former Indian football skipper Carlton Chapman passed away in Bengaluru on Monday, following a heart attack. He was aged 49.

Chapman had complained of chest pain on Sunday, following which he was admitted at a hospital in Bengaluru on Sunday night. However, the news emerged on Monday morning that he had breathed his last, as he suffered a heart attack.

"I got a call from Bengaluru from one of his friends that Chapman is no more. He passed away early this morning. He was a happy-go-lucky man, always smiling and ready to help others," Bruno Coutinho, Chapman's Indian teammate, was quoted as saying to PTI.

Chapman, who ideally played as a midfielder, formed a deadly pair, alongside Bhaichung Bhutia and IM Vijayan in the 1990s. He represented India seniors from 1995-2001, as the side had won the 1997 SAFF Cup under his leadership.

As for his club career, he had a couple of successive spells with Indian giants East Bengal, while he also had glorious stints with JCT Mills (now defunct). He had begun his early football career with TATA Football Academy, in Jamshedpur, during the 90s.

After he joined EB in 1993, he scored a hat-trick against Al Zawra in a match of the Asian Cup Winners Cup, the very year. However, his best came after he moved to JCT in 1995, where he won 14 titles with them, including the 1996-97 National Football League, while his partnership with Vijayan and Bhutia garnered attention.

While he later joined FC Kochin (now defunct), he returned to EB in 1998, as they won the NFL in 2001 under his captaincy. It happened to be his final year as a professional player, as he announced his retirement from the sport.

Chapman also had his stint as a coach, as he managed TFA, along with Royal Wahingdoh FC and Sudeva Moonlight FC in the I-League 2nd Division. He later became the Technical Director of Quartz International Football Academy in 2017.