Teammates pray for Cristiano Junior at the end of the Federation Cup final in Bangalore on Sunday. (PTI)

Calcutta: Thousands of East Bengal fans will remember him as the ultimate lucky charm ? a tall lanky figure who acted as a huge catalyst in the red-and-gold brigade?s second National Football League (NFL) title on the trot.

Cristiano de Lima Junior came from Brazil, he played in India, he conquered. And, yes, he sent the statisticians scurrying for the record books.

Sadly, only his memories remain after Sunday evening.

It was a sunny Tuesday afternoon (last December 12) when Cristiano Junior came to the Salt Lake Stadium for the match against Churchill Brothers. Little did the coach, officials and 40,000-odd home supporters know they would be privileged to witness the unfolding of history.

Prior to that match, defending champions East Bengal were down in the dumps. Having started their NFL journey on a losing note (1-2 against Salgaocar), East Bengal split points with Vasco and JCT in their next two away outings.

When Bhowmick?s dejected squad returned to the city, they faced an angry set of officials and fans. The coach?s job was on the line. As Bhowmick sought divine intervention, Junio landed at his door with a blessed goal-scoring quality.

The 26-year-old scored on debut and played the key role in East Bengal?s stunning revival. He didn?t stop scoring ? seven matches on the trot ? till the derby with Mohun Bagan, on January 22, saw the Brazilian juggernaut finally coming to a halt.

?It?s okay so far as I?ve been serving my team and playing a key role in its cause. But to be honest, scoring goals is my primary duty. If I can?t score, my utility and reliability as a striker will be lost,? Junior had said during an interview with The Telegraph a day before that derby clash.

He finished the NFL with 15 goals and the top-scorer?s laurel. The goal-scoring machine continued to roll on in the AFC Cup, netting half a dozen in five games.

He may not have had the power of bulldozing the rival defence, nor the skill to mesmerise the backline. But he won a million hearts as a perfect goal-poacher.

The same quality also marked his relationship with Dempo SC. He made his appearance for the Goan team in the Federation Cup itself and scored to throw debutants Ever-Ready out of the tournament. In the final he simply took away the game from Mohun Bagan scoring both goals.

By the time Dempo were handed over the Federation Cup for the first time, though, Junior had already set off for another journey. Let the divine goalscorer rest in peace.