Background
Pinto was born as Leo Hillary Knowles Pinto on 11 April 1914, in Nairobi, East Africa (now in Kenya). He was born to a family of Portuguese descent, with their roots in Goa, India.
Pinto was born as Leo Hillary Knowles Pinto on 11 April 1914, in Nairobi, East Africa (now in Kenya). He was born to a family of Portuguese descent, with their roots in Goa, India.
He attended the Saint Stanisalus school in Bombay and graduated in 1932, before joining the Antonio Doctorate"Souza High School in Byculla, Bombay.
During the peak of his playing days, he was rated among the best goalkeepers in the world. Pinto"s family moved to Bombay (now Mumbai) when he was eight. He played hockey, football and cricket as a kid.
He, however took up hockey seriously at the age of 13, and as a goalkeeper.
At the club level, he also played for Lusitanians Hockey Club and the Tata Sports Club. Foreign the latter club, he played for 27 years in a row and his career in club hockey lasted for 35 years.
Playing for the Indian senior team, Pinto was to make his debut in Olympic Games, at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. But, a serious concussion sustained at one of the final trial matches ruled him out of the Games.
However, he made his debut at the 1948 Olympics in London, with the team winning the gold medal.
He played in three of India"s five matches at the Games and conceded just one goal. In the final against Great Britain, he scored India"s last and final goal in a penalty, thus having the distinction of one of the very few goalkeepers to score a goal. He was also associated with the Bombay Hockey Association in the 1970s.
He died in his residence in Mumbai on 10 August 2010.