Albino Gomes, Khalid Jamil’s trusted general, relishes returning to the Indian squad after almost a decade

When Khalid calls Jamil, Albino Gomes answers.

It started with Aizawl FC, where the two won the I-League together. At Jamshedpur FC they picked up where they left off. With nine clean sheets, Gomes helped the side reach the Super Cup final and the semi-finals of the Indian Super League (ISL).

With Jamil at the helm of the Indian men’s national team, Gomes has been called up for a third stint. This time almost after ten years.

«I got a call from the coach asking how I was doing. Then he told me that I had done well in the league games. He said that maybe he would call me for the next camp and asked me to be ready,» Gomes recalled.

Gomes has been with the national team for quite some time, after excelling under Jamil in Jamshedpur last season. He saved four penalties – the best in the ISL – and had nine clean sheets in the 2024-2025 season.

With three clean sheets in five games in the ISL this season, he kicked the door open.

“I received a message from the team manager that I had been called up to camp. I immediately shared the news with my wife and thanked God for this opportunity, especially after years of struggling with injuries,” he says.

However, Gomes didn’t have goalkeeping in his plans when he started. «I wanted to be a striker, like every boy’s dream at a young age: to score goals and play up front. I was maybe nine or 10,» he says.

«But my seniors were playing (as strikers) at school (Father Agnel Multipurpose Primary School in Verna, Goa), and I didn’t get a chance up front. I wanted to be in the team anyway. So I thought goalkeeping might be an option. There was hardly anyone there, and I was quite tall for my age at that time.»

Gomes rose through the ranks at Sporting Club de Goa and Salgaocar, warming benches at senior level more often than commanding boxes at Salgaocar and Mumbai City.

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Then Jamil came as Aizawl coach and with him came the turning of the tide. With Gomes between the sticks, Aizawl won the then Indian top title, the I-League, in the 2016/2017 season, one of the biggest underdog stories of Indian football.

“I think he is fantastic at reading games because he knows everything about the player, and he knows how to get 100 percent out of individuals,” Gomes said of Jamil.

«In training he likes to push everyone. Even if someone says he is giving 100 percent, he would demand more. That further motivates players.»

The two went their separate ways after that season, with Gomes finding form with Kerala Blasters in the 2020-2021 season. He even led the side in the Durand Cup once and was looking like a Golden Glove candidate the following season, with two clean sheets in five games, when a knee injury ruled him out for the season.

«I didn’t think I would be out for so long. But the recovery from the injury took time. I lost more playing time that season,» says Gomes. He would never play a top-flight game for the next two seasons, guarding goal for Salgaocar and then Sreenidi Deccan.

However, it turned out that the professor remembered his student, and so Jamil once again put an arm around Gomes’ shoulder, making him No. 1 at Jamshedpur FC.

«I never knew that Jamshedpur would come for me because I already had a contract with Sreenidi Deccan Football Club. So I was preparing for that in the off-season,» Gomes admits.

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«But my goal was to get back to the ISL. So that’s what I was working for. One day, coach Khalid suddenly called me and said, ‘How are you? How is your training?’ He asked me to be fit. We may be interested in you. That’s how it came about.”

At Jamshedpur, Gomes set the record for saving most penalties in the ISL (four) and also helped the side get past NorthEast United in the Super Cup quarter-final shootout. Under Jamil, the old Albino Gomes seemed to be back.

“It was difficult, but I stayed positive and finally made a comeback. I am very happy and grateful to be able to coach Khalid and everyone who believed in me,” said Gomes.

Although Gomes spent two seasons with the Blasters, he never played at the team’s fortress Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

«I wasn’t there in this stadium because I played for Blasters when I was in the COVID season. So I wasn’t playing in front of the fans. But I would like to just experience the crowd because I know the passion they have for the team and for football,» Gomes reflects.

As India take on Hong Kong under Jamil’s leadership, Gomes hopes his dream of wearing the India jersey and taking the field can finally become a reality.

«I was part of the national team setup for a while but couldn’t be there for long due to injuries or various reasons. Everyone who plays in India dreams of playing for the national team one day,» he says.

Gomes is part of the goalkeeping triumvirate that includes India number 1 Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and last ISL season’s Golden Glove winner Vishal Kaith.

«My experience in the camp was very good. This time I felt more confident and learned a lot from Gurpreet and Vishal, who have been among the top players in the league and the country for many years,» he said.

Jamil and Gomes have performed miracles before. Today they are in Kochi with India not registering a win in eight competitive matches so far. And the duo will be hoping their magical click will happen again when the moment of reckoning arrives.

Published on March 31, 2026