Former India football vice-captain Godfrey Pereira could not believe his eyes when he was woken up on Monday morning to a Whatsapp message titled 'shocking news.' The group comprising ex-players from the acclaimed Tata Football Academy had just informed its members that his former India teammate and captain, Carlton Chapman, 49, had passed away in a Bangalore hospital after suffering a heart attack.

"I had spoken to Carlton just two days ago. He told me that he was going to join I-League side, Gokulam Kerala FC, soon. He said his wife and children are in Mysore, so he would visit them and then leave for Kerala. I recommended two young Mumbai players to him and he assured me he'd select them. I'm shocked to learn of the death. He had no health issues whatsoever," Pereira, 50, who lives in Santacruz and currently coaches the Air India football team, told mid-day.