Gasper Crasto
Gasper Crasto is a Football player from Goa, India, who played for Salgaocar F.C. from 1991 to 1998.
Youngest child of Marianinha and Rafael Crasto hailing from Firgulem-Shantinagar, Navelim-Salcete, Goa, Gasper was born on 8 October 1968 and baptized at the church of Our Lady of Rosary, Navelim.
After his initial education at Rosary High School and S. P. Chowgule College of Arts and Science - Goa, Gasper acquired a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering in 1991 from Fr. Agnel College, Verna, then affiliated to the Bombay Board.
Having a flair for football right from his school days Gasper got to play for one of the top clubs of India - Salgaocar Football Club whom he served 8 years and played all over India apart from holding a job in their establishment.
Before playing for Salgaocars, Gasper captained Agassaim Youth Club in the Goa First Div in the 1989-90 season. The team finished 6th in a 10-team league that season; Gasper emerged top scorer for the club.
Earlier as a 16 year old, Gasper first played for Davorlim Sporting in the Second Division tier of the Goa league, and continued for the subsequent 2 seasons.
Gasper landed in Kuwait in 1999. Currently working for Action Consultancy Bureau as a Business Development Engineer in the Oil & Gas Sector.
Football
·First Team: Navelim Soccerites (All Goa U-14 Champions 1983)
·South Goa Champion with Rosary High School in the Subroto Cup - 1984-85
·Played for Navelim in all major Inter-village Tournaments of Goa from 1987 onwards - major inter-village clubs that Gasper played included Navelim Sporting, Davorlim Sporting, Enfermos FC, Mandopa YC, etc.
·Champions with Fr. Agnels in the West Zone All India Football (Twice: Ahmednagar & Kolhapur) & Cricket (Runners-Ahmednagar) between 1987-1991
·Captained Agassaim FC in the Goa First Div. Football League 1989-90.
·Played for Salgaocar Sports Club, Goa from 1990-91 to 1998-99 - Best Performance: Top Scorer in the All India Bandodkar Gold Cup 1992-93.
·Represented Salgaocars in the Indian National Football League played at different centres in India.
·Represented Goa in the Santosh Trophy - Semifinalist at Palakkad National, Kerala.
Cricket
·Played First Div. Cricket for Mahalaxmi Cricket Club-Panaji; & DCC-Margao from 1987 to 1991.
Badminton
Champion in the Open All Goa Amateur Badminton tournament organised by Vidyavihar-Margao in 1987.
Swimming
All Navelim swimming champion 1991
Team in Kuwait
Played for Navelim YC in Kuwait under the auspices of Kuwait Indian Football Federation (KIFF)
Awards and Honors
In 2003, Gasper Crasto was awarded Athlete of the Year in Kuwait by Cultural Recreational Club of Chinchinim (CRC Chinchinim).
Kuwait Indian Football Federation presented Gasper with a special memento at the end of 2017~18 season for his contribution towards Indian Football.
Gasper Crasto as a Compere
Gasper is a popular compere and demonstrates his wit and humor at many Goan events. He is a host and expert commentator at most of the football events organized by Kuwait Indian Football Federation.
Gasper's presence as an MC was greatly noticed at the Global Goans Convention held in 2010 and the First Konkani Film Festival held in Kuwait
Gasper Crasto as a Stage Singer
Gasper is also an outstanding Konkani singer and composer. He is a regular feature in almost every Konkani show or drama organized by the Goan diaspora in Kuwait that features renowned superstars from Goa. Normally, Gasper sings along with his wife Esparansa
Gasper's World
Gasper Crasto runs a blog called gaspersWorld where he pens news articles, stories and views on different subjects. Gasper's video on Ruzai Saibinn is quite popular on social media.
Gasper is a regular contributor to Kuwait's Arab Times newspaper, Indians in Kuwait, and Mangalorean.com.
Gasper Crasto is married to Esparansa from Sanquelim, Goa. They have a daughter named Angel Rafa Crasto. Gasper's elder brother Gabriel Crasto is also a popular figure based in Bahrain.