Young Goan football talent Brandon Fernandes has been given clearance to play for Sporting Clube de Goa, more than four months after joining training of the side since September.
The International transfer certificate for Brandon came a few days back and the club has now completed the registration with the All India Football Federation today.
It was last year that Brandon scored to help Goa-India to record a thrilling 3-2 victory over Mozambique and clinch the Lusofonia football gold medal. It was a proud moment for the whole of Goa.
For someone who made his debut in the Goa Football Association age group league at the age of nine, the last one year has been very unusual for Brandon as he has not played a single professional match, after frustratingly waiting for international clearance from South Africa.
Brandon's career started at a very young age when he played for the youth teams of Fransa and Velsao Pale, before making the move to Salgaocar where he started to gain a reputation as a promising talent. He represented Goa and later India at nearly all the age categories from 13 to 19.
In 2008, when Manchester United ran a skills competition in Goa, Brandon finished on top of the pile which saw him travel to the 'Theatre of Dreams' at Old Trafford in England where he stormed into the top 10 in the skills category amongst a host of players from top nations.
Brandon came back to Goa and continued to make headlines through his exploits on the field with the club and country, also scooping accolades and recognition as a young sportsman by winning BIG FM and Geno awards. In 2010 his talent caught the attention of the ASD Academy, Cape Town in South Africa.
It was not easy leaving his friends and family behind, but his rather ambitious nature encouraged him to pack his bags and follow his heart. During his stint in South Africa, he would come back to represent the national team. He eventually played for Salt Water Blackpool in the South African second division.
