Carlton Chapman knew when to make a move in the centre of a football pitch. His excellent runs and an eye for an assist made him a midfielder that the best strikers in India wanted to team up with.
And it wasn't just strikers that wanted to be a part of the team that he led. Everybody liked him, he was a genuinely nice guy who played football with a smile on his face.
When the news of his passing at the age of 49 broke on Monday morning, the feeling his teammates had was one of utmost shock.
"He was like a younger brother to me. We were practically family. This is not an easy loss to take,” Chapman’s former teammate IM Vijayan told the All India Football Federation (AIFF). “He was a really nice person, both on and off the pitch. I do not remember him ever getting angry at anyone.”
Vijayan and Chapman, who played together at JCT and FC Kochin, reproduced the magic of their partnership for the national team in the same year by winning the South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup in Kathmandu.
Chapman was one of the best midfielders in the country during his time. He graduated from the Tata Football Academy during the early 90s and a decade later, returned to his training grounds there as a coach and was a dedicated servant of the establishment for six years.
It would be a hard task to pick one historic moment in Chapman's professional career. However, scoring a hat-trick for East Bengal against Al Zawra of Iraq in the Asian Cup Winners Cup in 1993, within years of his graduation was his way of announcing his arrival.
Indian Express
Two years later, he left for JCT and embarked on a journey full of trophies. "We won 14 tournaments in two years (at JCT). It was a formidable side with IM Vijayan, Jo Paul Ancheri and Bhaichung Bhutia," Chapman had recollected a high point in his career in an interview back in 2011. Even there, he deflected praise and showered it upon his teammates.
After winning the first edition of NFL with JCT, he had a short stint at FC Kochin before returning to East Bengal. He had unfinished business with the Red and Golds.
In the 2000-01 season, East Bengal won the NFL by just a point over arch-rivals Mohun Bagan and Chapman was instrumental in making that happen.
After winning trophies almost every year in his professional career, Chapman turned to coaching after 2001. He enjoyed stints at TFA, Bhowanipore, Royal Wahngdoh, Students Union, Sudeva and Quartz FC and was about to add Gokulam Kerala to his list. He breathed his last before he could take over the reserve team of the Malabarians and the people who knew him will have prayed that he departed with a smile.
“It’s sad to hear that Carlton Chapman is no more. His contribution to Indian Football will never be forgotten. I share the grief," AIFF president Praful Patel said, upon hearing the news of his death.
AIFF general secretary Kushal Das said, “Chapman was a gifted player. He even inspired so many youngsters through his coaching. May his soul rest in peace.”
See you on the other side, Chapman.
