ISL 2022-23: I had idols like Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldinho, Andreas Iniesta but knew I had to inspire myself – Abdenasser El Khayati

Chennaiyin FC attacking midfielder Abdenasser El Khayati revealed he had footballing idols like Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldinho, and Andreas Iniesta but he knew he had to work hard to make it big in his career. The Dutch player has been the cynosure of all eyes in the ongoing ninth season of the Hero Indian Super League.

The veteran has the experience of playing as a winger as well as a central midfielder and it has done an amazing job for the club so far.

Furthermore, Khayati has played most of his football in Eredivisie, the Netherlands’ top-tier football league. The Dutch started his football career with the youth academy of Excelsior before joining the Feyenoord youth team in 2003. Subsequently, he made a move to RKSV Leonidas’ youth department. He made his professional debut for Den Bosch in the Eerste Divisie in 2008.

He has played for clubs like Queens Park Rangers, ADO Den Haag, Burton Albion, and Kozakken Boys in a career that is now 14 years long.

The 33-year-old has been able to hit the ground running in ISL, scoring seven goals in as many matches and also providing four assists for Marina Machans.

El Kayati said on CFC TV, “My brothers and parents always said the school is important and try to have a proper future as it is more secure when you focus more on the education but if you keep your focus only on football there is only 5 to 10% chance of making it. If you ask me to go back 20 years and what I want to become? The answer would be a football player and luckily I made it.”

Putting light on his journey, the Dutchman added, “I kept inspiring myself with the voices in my head telling me I can do it and I had the confidence as I was playing every day and I knew what needed to be done to become a professional footballer. I had idols like Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldinho, Andreas Iniesta, and even Juan Pablo Aimar. They do inspire you but they do not help you to become something, you got to do it yourself and keep that environment close to you where slowly you grow from there.”

Sharing his experience of playing football in England and the Netherlands, El Khayati said, “My time in the UK was a bit of a mix of success and failure. In any career you will have ups and downs, and so did I. I was in the fourth division, at Burton Albion, many around me stopped me from joining the club in the UK as I was doing very well in Holland but I was the best player (top scorer) there. We won the league and went into the third division. We won the league again (League One), but I left after seven months to join Queens Park Rangers. Then came the ups and downs, but it helped develop my mentality, and then I went back to Holland from 2017 to 2019, and it was a great time there.”

The Marina Machans have won four matches, lost as many, and drawn two games in the ongoing season. Chennaiyin FC will next take on Mumbai City FC on Saturday at the Mumbai Football Arena, Mumbai.