Mumbai: “Since we have come here, we never ate or trained separately. We were never treated as foreigners and that’s what I like about our team,” said footballer Bojan Djordjic at the jersey launch of Chennaiyin FC – the Indian Super League (ISL) team from Chennai – here on Monday.
The ISL, starting October 12, already built a fan base around the country and much is due to presence of these international players and their humility. In Chennaiyin FC, the star players apart from Bojan (Sweden), are Elano Blumer (Brazil), Bernard Mendy (France) and coach Marco Materazzi (Italy) – better known as the player headbutted by Zinedine Zidane at the FIFA World Cup final in 2006.
Bojan, also the captain of the team, is well aware of Chennai’s sporting culture and its successful Indian Premier League team, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and its captain MS Dhoni, who came on board as the co-owner of the ISL team.
“We’re happy to have MS Dhoni, I think he is going to make a difference. He has had massive success with CSK and I hope he creates the same magic for Chennaiyin FC now,” he said.
However, he criticised the mentality of Indian players. “They need to ask questions to learn further, the winning mentality is required and then, they can think of going to Europe to compete. They have to come out of their shell,” added Bojan, who played for Manchester United at the age of 18 in 1999.
The Manchester connection in Chennaiyin FC doesn’t end here. Mendy – the former Paris Saint-Germain star and also the most expensive buy ($80,000 per season) among 49 retired foreign players – is also an ardent fan of the club. On top of that, his first goal for Hull City, in 2008, strangely came against United too.
In ISL, Mendy is looking forward to play against Robert Pires, David Trezeguet and Nicolas Anelka - his former teammates.
“They are my friends and I am happy they will be around but on the pitch, no friendship. I mean business and I never want to lose a friendly game too. Though retired, they are still fit. Pires, for example, kept training with Arsenal and is still tough as a player,” said Mendy, who has also spent a good amount of time with legends like Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry.
“When I was young and was selected for the national team, I used to ask questions to Zidane like a kid in a classroom,” he said.
Nonetheless, Mendy was honest and confessed he did not have any idea about Indian football before.
“I had only seen few videos of my friend Gouramangi Singh (presently his teammate whom he fondly calls Jackie Chan). It is my first time in India,” he said.
Known for his natural effervescence, Mendy adds to the entertainment quotient in the team with his dance moves and affinity for Bollywood.
“You give me a month’s time and I’ll learn Hindi. I always smile and I am never under pressure,” he said.
