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Jose Ramirez Baretto was the mainstay for Mohun Bagan during the club’s halycon days at the turn of the century
Mohun Bagan legend Jose Ramirez Barreto announced on Saturday that he would retire at the end of the 2013-14 season. The Brazilian spent 11 years at Mohun Bagan, over two spells, and also had a successful one-year stint with Mahindra United.
Barreto played his final game for the green-and-maroon brigade last year before joining another Kolkata outfit Bhowanipore, where he is playing now and will end his career there.
Sportskeeda lists his top five achievements in Indian football
Successful first spell at Mohun Bagan
Barreto joined Mohun Bagan as an unknown Brazilian in 1999 and won the National Football League (NFL) title in his very first season in Indian football. The Brazilian was more of a provider in his debut campaign for Uzbekistan striker Igor Skiviryn with the two being instrumental in Mohun Bagan’s second title triumph. In his second season, Barreto finished top scorer of the NFL with 14 goals but Mohun Bagan narrowly missed out on the title to arch-rivals East Bengal.
The green-and-maroon brigade regained the title the following season with Barreto once again being inspirational as he finished second highest scorer in the league with 15. Mohun Bagan failed to mount a title challenge in the 02-03, and 03-04 seasons but Barreto continued to be their best player and was consistently among the top scorers of the league. By the time he left Mohun Bagan in 2004 after falling out with the new administrators, he had already won every other major domestic trophy in India – Calcutta League, Durand Cup, Rovers Cup, IFA Shield and Federation Cup.
Double winners with Mahindra United
After having a brief spell with Malaysia’s Penang FA, Barreto returned to India at the start of the 2005-06 campaign and joined the ambitious project at Mahindra United. The Mumbai club had roped in some of the best Indian players but the signing of two-time NFL winner Barreto sent out a title warning to all other clubs on these shores. The former Gremio youth player first guided Mahindra to Federation Cup success, scoring six goals in four matches including a match winning brace in the final against Sporting Clube with the winner coming in the last minute of extra time.
Mahindra United then went on to win the league title, thus emulating Dempo’s feat from the previous season of winning the Federation Cup and NFL in the same campaign. Although Ghanaian Yusif Yakubu was Mahindra’s top scorer, Barreto was the real difference as the Brazilian used to bail them out in tight games. Just like his combination with Skiviryn at Mohun Bagan, Barreto shared a great understanding with Yakubu and the two great foreigners were instrumental in Mahindra’s twin success.
Talisman in second MB spell also
Barreto reunited with Mohun Bagan in 2006, when he was nearing the age of 30 but despite the signing of India captain Bhaichung Bhutia, the Brazilian was the Mariners’ talisman. The green-and-maroon brigade struggled in the NFL but Barreto inspired them to Federation Cup success and nearly took them to the quarter-finals of the AFC Cup. The following season was the inaugural campaign of the I-League and Mohun Bagan finished fourth with the pairing of Bhaichung and Barreto in fine form.
The 2008-09 season was statistically Barreto’s last best campaign for the Kolkata giants as he reached double figures in the I-League with Mohun Bagan finishing runners-up and he also won his third Federation Cup, netting the winner in the final against Dempo. As a team, Mohun Bagan weakened in the next two campaigns but an ageing Barreto continued to show his class. The signing of Odafa Okolie in 2011 took away a lot of weight off Barreto’s shoulders but he remained a key figure in his final season at Mohun Bagan.
Baretto was Mohun Bagan’s talisman in his second spell also
Kolkata derby legend
The key criteria to become a legend at Mohun Bagan or East Bengal is to perform in the big Kolkata derby and that’s what Barreto managed to do consistently for the green-and-maroon brigade in both the spells. Barreto like many iconic figures of this famous old rivalry, used to raise his game for every East Bengal clash as despite being a foreigner he had completely embraced the Kolkata football culture. Thus he played the derbies with plenty of passion and established himself as East Bengal’s nemesis.
No other Mohun Bagan player has scored more goals than Barreto against East Bengal with the Brazilian netting 17 in total. But it’s not just the goals that made Barreto special in the derbies, it was his sheer presence that inspired both fans and teammates. Above all he always kept his composure and rarely showed indiscipline despite the huge tension that surrounds an East Bengal- Mohun Bagan clash. Barreto is a true Kolkata derby legend and is respected by many East Bengal fans also.
Role model
In terms of statistics (more than 200 goals for Mohun Bagan), trophies, fan following, very few in Mohun Bagan’s illustrious history can match the Brazilian. With regards to all-time great foreigners in Indian football, Barreto will be up there with the very best and for many he is arguably numero uno in the combined history of the NFL and I-League. Barreto’s success has inspired many other players from his country to ply their trade in India and many like Beto, Luciano Sobrosa, Douglas Da Silva have had good careers.
Last year, Barreto’s farewell game for Mohun Bagan against Pune FC had an attendance of 35,000, a number unimaginable for the majority of I-League fixtures. It was an emotional day with the best moment being a trademark finish from the Brazilian to put Mohun Bagan in front. Such an occasion is unlikely to be repeated for the farewell of any other Indian player also in the near future. For a certain generation of footballers in India, Barreto has become a role model and he is eager to give something back to Indian football having already started an academy in Goa with compatriot Beto.
