MARGAO: The month of October saw two young Indians, Ishan Pandita and Ashique Kuruniyan, sign contracts with La Liga clubs. Despite the success of these moves being hard to predict this early, FC Goa's Romeo Fernandes, for one, is delighted to see such a trend in Indian football.
“The European and South American leagues are very strong, and have a great amount of resources and expertise behind them. So when our boys get a chance to go play outside, the opportunity to learn and expose themselves is immense,” the 24-year-old told Express on Tuesday.
“They are only likely to improve when they come back. Even with my stint, it was all about learning and absorbing as much as I could, and then trying to put into practice what I learned,” said Romeo, who had a three-month stint with Brazilian First Division side Atletico Paranaense, for whom he played only 20 minutes.
However, the India midfielder warned youngsters to only make a move abroad if there is 'a clear motivation and reason behind it'. “There is no point moving and not improving your game. In that case, it’s better to stay in India, where you may learn a lot more by playing a lot more,” he opined.
“I’d recommend Indian players to sign for foreign clubs, based on their comfort levels. You have to be able to adapt to the surroundings, culture and many other factors. Only once all of that is accounted for, should a player choose the next step in his career,” Romeo added.
The 24-year-old, who began his career with Dempo FC, felt he benefitted plenty from the Brazil experience. “I came back more experienced and understood my strengths better. The opportunity to learn was immense. Now, it's all about getting what I learned out onto the pitch.”
After having two fairly successful campaigns in ISL, Romeo and Goa now find themselves in a position of concern, with the team bottom of the table on four points from seven games. Romeo himself has failed to stake a claim in Zico's squad, only making his first start of the season against Delhi Dynamos on Sunday.
“I think we have played well. It has not been a case of us being outplayed. It's just that other teams have grasped opportunities that we have not,” the Assolna lad said.
“My job is to train as hard as possible and take care of myself, and then allow the coach to make his decisions,” he added.
However, Romeo is confident Goa can still get results to make the semifinals. “We have players who are technically skillful, and with a winning mentality. We do have tough matches, but I still believe we can turn our season around in the second half of ISL,” he said.
adwaidh@newindianexpress.com