Mumbai: It’s big news for Indian football. Ishan Pandita from Bengaluru has become the first Indian footballer to sign a professional contract with a club in one of the top five European leagues.
The 18-year-old has signed for CD Leganes in La Liga, the top tier of Spanish football. The club presently sits at 11th position with 10 points; they defeated Granada 1-0 in their last Liga game.
Pandita has inked a one-year deal with the club. The striker has signed for the main club, however, he will start his CD Leganes career with their U-19 side in the Division de Honor Juvenil, top tier of Spanish league system for youth players.
“It's a great feeling; it's a big moment for me. My first goal is to get some game-time and score a few goals. If I can progress from the youth team and debut for the first team before the end of the season, that will be great,” Pandita told to a national daily.
The academy director, Jorge Broto Benavente, at Leganes is impressed by Pandita’s physical attributes and ability to score goals. He, however, said that it will take a while for the Indian to make it to club's main team.
Leganes currently sits at the 8th position in group V of the Division de Honor Juvenil league.
