The Indian Super League has brightened the prospect for Indian players to go out and play in professional leagues abroad, feels Atletico de Kolkata’s marquee player Luis Garcia.
The Spanish World Cupper, who is more famous for his stint with Liverpool FC, said the tournament offers the right stage for the Indian players to hone their skills.
“This beginning (of ISL) should be really good for the country’s football.
“The time I have spent with the team so far has convinced me that the Indian players have the quality and the talent to play good football.
“What they need now is a stage where they can showcase their skills,” Garcia said as he was introduced to the local media here on Sunday.
“Cricket will always be there. But for football to grow here they need to have the basics right.
“If this is done very soon Indian players may play abroad and maybe in a few years the Indian national team could be as good as the one they had in the 50’s,” Garcia said, giving ample proof of his understanding of the past and future of Indian football.
Atletico de Kolkata, which returned after almost four weeks of pre-season training in La Liga champion Atletico de Madrid’s facility in Los Angeles de San Rafel near Madrid, quoted a message from the Spanish champion’s famed Argentine manager Diego Simeone who urged the team to play as a unit and not get overawed by individual stars in the opposition.
“Our Indian colleagues had some initial problems adjusting to the weather and the turf in Madrid.
“But after a week’s training they were responding fine and showed good improvement to the training methods.
“I hope this will continue through the tournament,” Garcia said as the team’s head coach Antonio Lopez Habas, who has difficulty communicating in English, nodded in agreement with his marquee signing.
