SUNDAY, MAY 19, 2024
PANJIM: Former FC Goa skipper and current Mumbai City left back Mandar Rao Dessai became first player to record 100 appearances in the Indian Super League when he played against SC East Bengal.
Mandar first hogged the limelight when he captained the young Goa team to Lusofonia gold, but now, if one can compare, he is a totally different player.
It was a drastic shift in his game a couple of years ago that the Mumbai City FC full-back, who was until then ignored by then India coach Stephen Constantine, suddenly became a shoo-in for the national team. That was when current Mumbai City FC head coach Sergio Lobera, then in charge of FC Goa, converted him from a winger to a left-back.
Mandar credits his time spent playing in the Hero ISL for his rise. "All these big names (the foreign players that he had an opportunity to play with), when they came in, they gave me a lot of confidence. My coaches — Zico and Sergio — motivated me to move forward and improve my game. Coach Sergio always pushes me to more than my limits," he said.
Mandar owes a lot to his current coach Lobera, who made it a point to prise him away from FC Goa, when he joined Mumbai City FC. Mandar made 97 ISL appearances for Goa, the majority of which came under Lobera. And now, at Mumbai City, his role has morphed from that of a young upstart looking to grab his opportunities to an established senior pro, who is familiar with the coach's philosophy and methods. "I've been under him (Lobera) for more than three years, so I know what he wants from me and the team. So that is much more easier for the team when he has players who know his style," said Mandar.
"It's really great for me to play 100 games in ISL and become the first player to play so many games. But the most important thing was the win for us against East Bengal. This is the way and this is the style the coach wants us to play," he said.
