BANGALORE: In the 2005 Santosh Trophy semifinal in Kochi, Manipur had struck a goal in injury time and the Goans appeared to be on the way out. But with the Manipuris still celebrating despite the Referee asking them to get back to their positions, the Goans kick-off the game and off the very second pass, Climax dribbled into the box and placed the ball into the net for the equaliser. They then won the tie-breaker and eventually went on beat Maharashtra in the final to be crowned champions.
The Goan show was built around the unassuming and hard-working midfielder and captain Climax Lawrence.
The result surely was an anti- climax. Lawrence had done the rescue act tremendously.
But unfortunately the serious-looking and serious-minded footballer’s career itself has ended in a similar manner — anticlimactic.
From the high of winning the SAFF Cup to playing vital role against German giants Bayern Munich only recently, Climax, who took the captain’s arm band from the iconic Baichung Bhutia, was suddenly dropped from the list of probables for the AFC Challenge Cup by India’s coach Savio Madeira, his former teammate for a brief while at Salgaocar. Incidentally, when Savio was on his way out, Climax was just getting his big breaks. Piqued at being left out without even a word, Climax immediately announced his retirement from International football.
Stung by the decision, Savio put up a bold face saying that he wasn’t dropped but only rested. Yet, the damage had been done. If he was indeed rested, the coach should have had a word with him to avoid complications.
But that wasn’t to be and Savio will now have to hand over the No 8 jersey to someone else. At the age of 33, Climax is fully aware of the fact that international football, or for that matter football at any level, is a tough proposition.
“I had to retire. Age is not on my side. But this is not the way you treat a senior player.
During the SAFF Cup, Savio said I still had two years of international football left in me. And now he does this u-turn,” Climax said.
“If he had informed me earlier, I might have retired after the SAFF Cup or after the friendly against Bayern Munich. It really hurts to be treated badly after having served the country for more than a decade,” rued Climax.
“I was myself thinking about retirement and thought I would hang up my boots after the AFC Challenge Cup.
But that was not to be. I am now forced to retire with a heavy heart,” he added.
“I got to know about it. But I only rested him and did not drop him. He can always be back in the team. But it is up to him. What I say is that a player should know his limitations.
A coach cannot tell a player when to retire,” was Savio’s take.
Climax made his international debut under former India coach Stephen Constantine in the 2003 SAFF Championship Group A match against Afghanistan. Climax donned India colours in 71 senior internationals.
Always a gutsy and hardworking midfielder, Climax had loads of stamina and neither the defence nor the forward line felt they were without support with him on the field.
Climax was a good reader of the game and often provided very intelligent passes.
Rarely did he talk loudly and it was his boots which did the ‘talking.’ He was also a good free-kick exponent and never shied away from aerial duels.
He took to the game as a 12-year old and in 1998, he was roped in by Salgaocar.
He played a huge role in fetching the National League title for them. After serving them for five years, Climax joined East Bengal in 2004 and was coach Subhash Bhowmick’s favourite players.
He trusted him to deliver the goods and Climax never failed him.
He somehow could not adopt to life in the eastern metropolis and just like his statemate Francis D’Souza in the late 1970s, moved to Dempo in 2005 after just one year with East Bengal.
But he made sure that East Bengal also triumphed in the I-League.
Climax has been with Dempo since then and not surprisingly, they have been doing wonderfully well too.
That gives an indication of Climax’s contribution to the team’s fortunes. Not surprisingly, Climax has also won the best Midfielder award in the National League twice.
Climax was part of the Indian teams which won the Nehru Cup, the SAFF Cup and the AFC Challenge Cup in 2008. Always a coach’s delight and an opponent’s scourge, it will be difficult to fill up the void left by Climax’s sudden departure from the national team.
